\n
<\/p>\n
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights\u00a0Volker T\u00fcrk\u00a0strongly condemned\u00a0the rising use of these weapons in the\u00a0brutal\u00a0war\u00a0between\u00a0the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)\u00a0which recently entered a fourth year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cArmed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths,<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis increasing reliance on drones allows hostilities to continue unabated in the approaching rainy season, which in the past has brought about a lull in ground operations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The High Commissioner warned\u00a0of\u00a0the further spread of\u00a0violence in coming weeks\u00a0\u201cas the parties seek to gain or consolidate control of territory amid shifting conflict dynamics\u201d\u00a0that could\u00a0spark more\u00a0displacement and disruption to\u00a0humanitarian aid.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis must not be allowed to happen,\u201d he said. \u201cThe international community is on notice that, unless action is taken without delay,\u00a0this conflict is on the cusp of entering yet another new, even deadlier phase.<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Most of the civilian deaths attributed to drone strikes between January and April were recorded in the Kordofan region.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The most recent incident occurred on 8 May, when 26 civilians\u00a0reportedly were\u00a0killed, and others injured, in strikes on Al\u00a0Quz\u00a0in South Kordofan and near El Obeid in North Kordofan.\u00a0<\/p>\n Warring parties have\u00a0repeatedly struck\u00a0civilian objects and infrastructure. This includes\u00a0markets, with at least\u00a028 such attacks resulting in civilian casualties.\u00a0<\/p>\n Health facilities have\u00a0been hit\u00a0at least 12 times during the four-month period.\u00a0Some\u00a0have\u00a0closed\u00a0their\u00a0doors,\u00a0which has forced civilians to travel long distances for care or to go\u00a0without.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Fuel stores and supply routes have also suffered repeat hits in recent weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n The use of drones\u00a0by both\u00a0warring parties\u00a0is increasingly spreading beyond the Kordofan and Darfur regions to Blue Nile, White\u00a0Nile\u00a0and Khartoum.\u00a0<\/p>\n A strike\u00a0on\u00a0Khartoum International Airport on 4 May\u00a0resulted in\u00a0the disruption of all flights,\u00a0while several targeted drone attacks occurred elsewhere in Khartoum and\u00a0its\u00a0twin city of\u00a0Omdurman\u00a0between 28 April and 5 May.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe intensity of these attacks has shattered the relative calm that has prevailed in recent months, as increasing numbers of civilians have returned to the capital\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and triggered fears of a return of hostilities to Khartoum,<\/strong>\u201d said\u00a0Mr.\u00a0T\u00fcrk.\u00a0<\/p>\n A\u00a0likely intensification\u00a0of hostilities in Kordofan will also put civilians at greater risk of retaliatory attacks and further large-scale displacement, he added.\u00a0\u00a0This is particularly\u00a0the case in\u00a0the SAF-controlled cities of El Obeid and Dilling in South Kordofan,\u00a0which have both been under\u00a0siege-like conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n The escalating violence would also disrupt humanitarian operations, the High Commissioner warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cMuch of the country, including Kordofan, is now facing an increased risk of famine and acute food insecurity, a\u00a0situation exacerbated by expected delays or shortages of\u00a0fertilizer\u00a0as a result of the Gulf crisis,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In response to the situation, the UN human rights chief called for robust measures to prevent the transfer of arms, including increasingly advanced armed drones,\u00a0to the parties in Sudan.\u00a0<\/p>\nInternational community\u00a0put on notice<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Kordofan region\u00a0epicentre\u00a0of strikes<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Drone use\u00a0is\u00a0expanding<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Humanitarian access\u00a0impacted<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n