Air attacks are putting Sudanese civilians at mounting risk, the ICRC said, with hundreds of people reportedly killed in recent aerial strikes across the country.
The agency said armed drones were likely involved in most strikes. Some attacks reached populated districts, including places where people displaced by the fighting had taken shelter.
The Associated Press (AP) reported Monday that three children died in a drone strike in Khartoum, while separate attacks in West Kordofan killed dozens of civilians. Emergency Lawyers, a civilian-monitoring group, blamed the Khartoum strike on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and said Sudan's military carried out the West Kordofan attacks. The war began in April 2023 after tensions between the military and RSF escalated, AP reported.
A separate early United Nations (U.N.) count for attacks at Amiet Market and Todach in Abyei recorded at least 28 civilian deaths across both sites. The tally was not a final death toll for the market.
“The use of drones does not change the rules of war,” said Lorenzo Caraffi, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Sudan. Caraffi said combatants must assess the likely civilian effects of attacks, select military objectives and take practical steps to limit harm. Attacks expected to cause excessive civilian harm are prohibited.
ICRC-assisted hospitals treated more than 2,700 people for weapon-related injuries from January through June 2026. The organization urged all parties to consider civilian consequences before using armed drones in populated areas.
