UN Voices Concern Over Rising Drone Strikes and Violence Against Aid Workers in Sudan
Sudan Events – Agencies
A United Nations spokesperson has expressed concern over the growing use of drones in warfare near residential areas.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), aid convoys have been unable to reach the besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur since January.
The UN spokesperson also voiced alarm over the protection of civilians in Darfur and Kordofan amid intensifying clashes.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the UN team in Sudan reported artillery shelling in several locations in El Fasher on Wednesday. A day earlier, reports confirmed drone and artillery strikes targeting the Abu Shouk displacement camp—where famine has been declared—on the outskirts of El Fasher, along with nearby areas, leaving civilian casualties.
On Sunday, drone strikes hit the town of Kuma, about 70 kilometers east of El Fasher, causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure.
Greater Khartoum was also affected on Tuesday, when drone attacks struck several key civilian sites, including the main power station, leading to widespread blackouts in the capital.
Dujarric told reporters that the aerial attacks disrupted the relative calm that had prevailed in recent months, underscoring the risks faced by the large number of civilians returning to the area.
“These incidents raise serious concerns about the increasing use of drones in warfare near populated areas,” he said, noting that the trend has been repeated in several conflict zones around the world.
Attacks on Aid Workers
Dujarric also warned that volunteers with humanitarian organizations are facing mounting risks, including arbitrary arrests and harassment.
Reports have emerged of violent incidents targeting aid workers in Khartoum as well as in East and North Darfur.
He stressed that such attacks—along with bureaucratic obstacles—continue to severely hinder the delivery of life-saving assistance to those in desperate need.
The spokesperson reiterated the UN’s call for an immediate end to hostilities, the protection of civilians, unhindered humanitarian access, and increased international funding to sustain life-saving operations across Sudan.
