More than 500 civilians have been killed in Sudan by drone attacks since the beginning of the year.

March 24, 2026 (PEN) The United Nations announced today that more than 500 civilians were killed in attacks carried out by drones in Sudan between January and mid-March, most of them in the strategic Kordofan region.

Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, said during a press conference that the significant increase in the use of drones to carry out airstrikes in Sudan this year highlights the devastating impact of advanced technology and relatively inexpensive weapons in populated areas, noting that information indicates that more than 500 civilians have been killed by drone strikes since January 1 to March 15.

She confirmed that drone attacks and airstrikes have continued over the past weeks, leading to a rise in the number of victims, with more than 277 civilians killed by drone strikes in the first two weeks of March, indicating an intensification of the use of this type of weapon in the conflict over the past few months.

The UN official explained that the pattern of attacks that repeatedly target civilians and infrastructure raises serious concerns about respect for international humanitarian law, especially the principles of distinction between civilians and combatants, proportionality and the obligation to take precautions to ensure the protection of civilians, considering that such patterns of attacks may amount to war crimes if they are found to target civilians repeatedly and systematically.