Sudan Conflict Enters Deadlier Phase as Drone Strikes Cause Over 80 Percent of Civilian Deaths

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a high alert on May 14 warning that armed drones caused more than 80 percent of civilian deaths in Sudan war during the first four months of 2026, killing at least 880 people. Drone strikes hit markets, civilian vehicles, and water wells in North Darfur and South Kordofan on May 12-13. The increasing reliance on drones eliminates the traditional rainy-season lull in fighting, and the conflict now in its fourth year has killed at least 59,000 with nearly 13 million displaced.