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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

Nearly 700 reported killed in Sudan drone strikes this year — UN

From The Punch · (1d ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Nearly 700 civilians have reportedly been killed in drone strikes in Sudan since January, according to the UN aid chief.
  • The ongoing civil war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has displaced over 11 million people and created the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
  • The UN is appealing for $2.9 billion in aid, but the response is critically underfunded, with donors set to meet in Berlin.

The devastating conflict in Sudan continues to inflict immense suffering, with the United Nations reporting a staggering nearly 700 civilian deaths from drone strikes in the first three months of this year alone. This grim statistic underscores the brutal reality on the ground as the war, now entering its fourth year, rages between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has not only claimed tens of thousands of lives but has also triggered the world's largest humanitarian crisis, displacing over 11 million people and pushing vast regions into famine.

In the first three months of this year, nearly 700 civilians were reportedly killed in drone strikes.

— Tom FletcherReporting the number of civilian casualties from drone strikes in early 2026.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher painted a dire picture of the situation, highlighting the widespread displacement and the escalating hunger as the lean season approaches. Hundreds of thousands of children are suffering from acute malnutrition, and millions are deprived of education. The report also brings to light the horrific reality of systemic and brutal sexual violence faced by women and girls. The risk of wider regional instability looms large as entire communities are uprooted and families are repeatedly forced to flee their homes.

Millions have been driven from their homes across Sudan and beyond its borders, with entire communities emptied and families uprooted time and again. The risk of wider regional instability is high.

— Tom FletcherDescribing the scale of displacement and the threat of regional instability.

Despite the scale of the crisis, the international response remains critically underfunded. The UN's appeal for $2.9 billion to support Sudan this year has only secured 16 percent of the necessary funds. As donors prepare to convene in Berlin for a conference aimed at reviving peace talks and mobilizing aid, Fletcher emphasized the urgent need for action: to stop the violence, protect civilians, ensure access to those in danger, and adequately fund the humanitarian response. The world, he stated, has failed to meet the test of Sudan.

We need action now — to stop the violence, protect civilians, ensure access to communities in greatest danger, and fund the response.

— Tom FletcherUrging immediate international action to address the crisis.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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