United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned escalating drone attacks across Sudan, warning that hundreds of civilians have been killed and calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
In a statement issued Saturday, October 31, through his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres expressed alarm over the growing use of armed drones and their devastating impact on civilian populations and essential infrastructure.
The UN chief said attacks across Sudan, including the disputed Abyei region, had killed hundreds of civilians, among them women and children, in violations of international humanitarian law.
Guterres expressed particular concern over attacks targeting civilian communities, hospitals and other critical facilities, calling on the warring parties to protect the population and prevent further destruction.
He urged the parties to immediately agree to a halt in hostilities as an initial step towards ending the conflict and renewed his appeal for meaningful engagement with international mediation efforts.
The United Nations reaffirmed its readiness to support a sustainable political settlement reflecting the aspirations of the Sudanese people.
Sudan military strikes fuel growing concern
The condemnation follows a series of deadly drone attacks across Darfur, Kordofan and other regions, including an October 26 strike attributed to Sudan’s military on a crowded market in Nyala, South Darfur.
The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) Government of Peace and Unity revised the reported death toll from the Nyala bombing to 188 people killed and 356 wounded, citing figures gathered by its health authorities.
The revised figures have not been independently verified.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) separately reported that Nyala Teaching Hospital received 36 bodies and treated more than 150 wounded patients following the attack.
MSF attributed the market bombing to the Sudanese Armed Forces and said a second strike also hit a residential neighbourhood.
The organisation warned that attacks on commercial areas were exposing civilians to deadly violence while disrupting access to food and essential supplies.
The Nyala bombardment followed an earlier strike on the city’s livestock market on October 16, raising concerns about repeated aerial attacks on civilian gathering places.
Hundreds killed in October drone attacks
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk previously reported that at least 306 people were killed and hundreds injured in drone strikes during the first three weeks of October.
The attacks, attributed to both Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), struck homes, markets, hospitals, displacement centres, electricity facilities and water infrastructure across several states.
The escalation has placed additional pressure on communities already suffering from widespread displacement, food shortages and the collapse of essential public services.
In Abyei, an October 19 drone attack on the Amiet market and nearby Todach area killed more than 80 people, according to UN reporting, prompting demands for investigations and accountability.
The UN has repeatedly warned that deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure could constitute war crimes.
UN renews calls for political settlement
The latest statement adds to mounting international pressure for an end to Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023 and has triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies.
Continued drone attacks have intensified concerns about civilian protection, particularly in areas where markets, medical facilities and transport routes are essential to the survival of displaced communities.
The United Nations has urged the warring parties to comply with international humanitarian law, guarantee the safety of civilians and allow humanitarian organisations to operate without obstruction.
Guterres reiterated that ending the violence and returning to negotiations remain essential to achieving a lasting political resolution to Sudan’s devastating war.
