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(https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZjQ4ODc1MDAtODIyYS00YTM2LWEwYWEtYjIwOGU2OGY3NTQ2IiwidCI6IjBmOWUzNWRiLTU0NGYtNGY2MC1iZGNjLTVlYTQxNmU2ZGM3MCIsImMiOjh9&pageName=ReportSectionc9ce2e382b54b076179e) Global       (1168661.html#block-un-news-search-block-primary-content) Search  (form-aKXz-qzHzITPpuFeZKwrHqNLXxeSjfEjzEQjtaAp1dU)  (un_news_search_block_form)  () (Search)   (Search) Search  (https://news.un.org/en/advanced-search) Advanced Search           Audio and Subscription  (https://news.un.org/en/audio-hub) (Audio Hub) Audio Hub    (https://news.un.org/en/content/un-newsletter-subscribe) (Subscribe) Subscribe              Sudan: Drone strikes killed at least 306 people in three weeks       (A male UN peacekeeper in a blue helmet and tan uniform stands armed among burned brick buildings, rubble, and a metal tank cart in Abyei, Sudan.)       UNISFA A UN peacekeeper stands guard at the scene of a drone strike in Abyei, a disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan.            (https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168661) (Share this via Facebook) Facebook (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sudan: Drone strikes killed at least 306 people in three weeks&url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168661) (Share this via Twitter) Twitter (1168661.html) (Share this via Print) Print (mailto:?subject=Sudan: Drone strikes killed at least 306 people in three weeks&body=https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168661) (Share this via Email) Email    Sudan: Drone strikes killed at least 306 people in three weeks    23 October 2026   (https://news.un.org/en/news/topic/peace-and-security) Peace and Security   UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday strongly condemned an escalation in drone strikes across Sudan this month, which killed at least 306 people and injured hundreds more in the first three weeks of October alone.               The strikes, attributed to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), hit homes, markets, hospitals, displacement sites, power stations and water sources in Kordofan, Darfur, Blue Nile, Khartoum and other states, according to the UN human rights office ((http://www.ohchr.org/EN/pages/home.aspx) OHCHR ). “The increasing use of drones, already accounting for the majority of conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan this year, is deeply disturbing and is exacting a horrifying toll ,” Mr. Türk said. Targeted by both sides  In a particularly disturbing trend, the office documented numerous strikes on displacement sites, where people who had already fled the fighting had sought shelter. Tweet URL    (https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/statuses/2113624486884901220)      Between 6 and 10 October, alleged drone strikes attributed to military government forces on shelters for displaced people in Ghubeish and El Nuhud in West Kordofan killed at least 25 civilians , including women and children. On 9 October, an alleged RSF drone struck a crowd of displaced people engaged in artisanal gold mining near a displacement site in Abu Shendi, Blue Nile, killing at least 31 people, most of them women and children . On 18 October, at least 139 people were killed when a transportation truck was hit in a “double tap” repeat strike in Dibab, West Kordofan, an area controlled by the RSF militia. Markets and hospitals have also been hit , including an RSF-attributed strike on Um Darfa hospital in Blue Nile on 11 October that seriously injured two health workers and left the facility non-operational. “Scores of civilians have been killed, including internally displaced persons, and vital infrastructure and services have been eviscerated, driving further displacement and deepening the already severe humanitarian crisis,” (https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/d366/d3665187) said  OHCHR Spokesperson Seif Magango. Deadly strike  Peacekeepers with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei ((https://unisfa.unmissions.org/) UNISFA ) this week visited communities affected by a drone attack on 19 October on Amiet Market and the Todach area in Abyei, the disputed oil-rich region between Sudan and South Sudan. The attack killed more than 80 people. UNISFA troops were the first to reach the scene, where “every shop was burning”, said Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Farooq, commander of the Mission’s Pakistani battalion.  The Mission deployed quick reaction and firefighting teams to stop the fire spreading and took more than 27 injured people to its hospital in Todach, according to Acting Force Commander Brigadier General Adebowale Ajabge. Angelina Musa Diaw, a trader and mother of three, said she had lost everything. “No work, everything is gone,” she said. “I am here with my children. But I need help.” Security Council demands accountability In a statement released Friday, the (https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/) Security Council condemned the Abyei attack “in the strongest terms”, warning that the death toll is expected to rise as UNISFA continues to verify casualties. They stressed that attacks on civilians could amount to war crimes and called for a full, transparent and prompt investigation, with those responsible held to account. The council reaffirmed that Abyei must remain demilitarized and free of all forces except UNISFA, and called on all actors to end military operations and occupation in the area. Members urged all parties to work with the Mission to protect civilians, aid workers and peacekeepers. Call for ceasefire  Mr. Türk called on the parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL), including by not directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects. “Broader peace efforts must squarely address the continued influx of arms that is fuelling the conflict and press for an end to the transfer of arms that are used in manifest disregard of the IHL obligations protecting civilians,” he said. “I urge both parties to the conflict, and their affiliates, to commit to a ceasefire ,” the High Commissioner added, stressing that a negotiated settlement with human rights at its core, underpinned by accountability, is the only feasible pathway to sustainable peace in Sudan.                     ♦ Receive daily updates directly in your inbox - (https://news.un.org/en/content/un-newsletter-subscribe?utm_source=UN News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=un_news_newsletter) Subscribe here  to a topic. ♦ Download the UN News app for your (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/un-news-reader/id496893005?mt=8) iOS  or (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.un.mobile.news&hl=en) Android  devices.     (https://news.un.org/en/tags/peace-and-security) Peace and security              Related Stories  (https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166655)   (Children walk between rows of emergency tents at As-Senniya IDP site in Port Sudan, Sudan, where displaced families have sought refuge from violence. UNICEF provides integrated support including education, health, and nutrition services.)      (https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166655) UN warns Sudan war entering deadlier phase as fighting spreads in Kordofan    (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168628)   (A patrol of UN peacekeepers passes through Abyei, a disputed border town between Sudan and South Sudan, where looted items are being collected after recent violence.)      (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168628) UN condemns deadly wave of drone strikes in war-torn Sudan    (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167479)   (The burnt shell of a car and destroyed mud-brick homes in the abandoned village of Al Bakri in North Darfur, Sudan, showing the aftermath of conflict and displacement.)      (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167479) Armed drones leading cause of civilian death in Sudan war: UN rights chief               News Tracker: Past Stories on This Issue  (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168638)   (Delegates from Switzerland, the United Nations, the African Union, and IGAD sit at a long conference table with nameplates and national flags behind them during a Sudan peace coordination meeting at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.)      (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168638) Sudan conflict: Peace efforts resume to end ‘drone war’ fuelling humanitarian crisis    21 October 2026   (https://news.un.org/en/news/topic/peace-and-security) Peace and Security   Talks to halt the fighting in Sudan and alleviate the humanitarian crisis there continued in Geneva on Wednesday, where nearly two dozen countries convened to discuss a pathway to a ceasefire and transition to peaceful governance that represents all Sudanese people.      (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168630)   (A soldier in camouflage uniform with a red beret shakes hands with a man in a blue traditional robe during a joint patrol by UN troops and Central African forces in a market area of Birao, Vakaga prefecture.)      (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168630) As Sudan war spills into Central African Republic, UN warns against early peacekeeper exit    20 October 2026   (https://news.un.org/en/news/topic/peace-and-security) Peace and Security   The UN warned on Tuesday against a premature withdrawal of its peacekeepers as the war in Sudan spills over into the Central African Republic (CAR).             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