# UN Human Rights Chief Condemns Deadly Surge in Sudan Drone Strikes

> GENEVA — UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the escalation of drone strikes across Sudan on Friday, reporting that the attacks have killed at least 306 people and injured hundreds of others during the first three weeks of October...

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- Published: 2026-10-24T00:38:00+11:00
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:35:01+11:00
- Author: PressClubAi
- Source: UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR)
- Source URL: https://ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/10/sudan-turk-alarmed-surge-drone-attacks-killing-hundreds-october
- Source context: UN agency source, Primary source
- Source note: Official UN human rights office material; may include rights assessments, statements, and advocacy positions.
- Categories: , Human Rights, humanitarian affairs
- Tags: Conflict, drone strikes, human rights, Sudan, UN, volker türk

## Story

GENEVA — UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the escalation of drone strikes across Sudan on Friday, reporting that the attacks have killed at least 306 people and injured hundreds of others during the first three weeks of October across states including Kordofan, Darfur, Blue Nile, and Khartoum.

According to the UN Human Rights Office, the strikes have been attributed to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attacks have hit civilian objects and vital infrastructure, including residential homes, markets, hospitals, displacement camps, power stations, and water facilities.

Türk stated that the growing use of drones accounts for the majority of conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan this year. He urged both warring parties to uphold international humanitarian law, which prohibits directing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The UN Human Rights Office noted a pattern of strikes targeting sites housing internally displaced persons (IDPs). Between October 6 and October 10, strikes attributed to the SAF hit IDP shelters in Ghubeish and El Nuhud in West Kordofan, killing at least 25 civilians and injuring 31 others. On October 9, an alleged RSF strike killed at least 31 people—predominantly women and children—near a displacement site in Abu Shendi, Blue Nile.

Drone strikes have also targeted artisanal gold mining locations and transport vehicles. Alleged RSF strikes on October 9 and 16 hit the Bajaun mining area in South Kordofan, killing 42 civilians and injuring 25. The UN rights office emphasized that under the laws of war, economic value alone does not make an object a lawful military target. Additionally, on October 18, a "double tap" repeat strike on a transportation truck in Dibab, West Kordofan, killed at least 139 people and injured dozens more.

Other documented incidents include deadly market strikes in North Darfur, South Darfur, and West Kordofan that killed a combined 23 civilians, as well as an October 11 strike attributed to the RSF that put the Um Darfa hospital in Blue Nile out of service. Retaliatory attacks have also been documented, including RSF-attributed strikes near Khartoum's airport following SAF aerial operations in Nyala.

Türk called for an end to arms transfers fueling the war, urged both parties to commit to a ceasefire, and emphasized that accountability and human rights must form the basis of any negotiated settlement.

## Links

- [Source](https://ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/10/sudan-turk-alarmed-surge-drone-attacks-killing-hundreds-october)