UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday condemned a sharp escalation in drone attacks across Sudan, saying at least 306 people had been killed and hundreds more injured in the first three weeks of October.

According to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), drone strikes attributed to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have hit residential areas, markets, hospitals, displacement sites, power stations and water sources across Kordofan, Darfur, Blue Nile, Khartoum and other states.

“The increasing use of drones, already accounting for the majority of conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan this year, is deeply disturbing and is exacting a horrifying toll,” Türk said.

The UN human rights office documented multiple attacks on sites sheltering people displaced by the conflict, including strikes that killed women and children.

Between October 6 and 10, drone strikes attributed to government forces on shelters in Ghubeish and El Nuhud in West Kordofan killed at least 25 civilians, according to OHCHR.

On October 9, an alleged RSF drone strike hit a group of displaced people engaged in artisanal gold mining near a displacement site in Abu Shendi, Blue Nile state, killing at least 31 people, most of them women and children.

In another deadly incident, at least 139 people were reportedly killed on October 18 when a transport truck was struck in a repeat attack in Dibab, West Kordofan, an area under RSF control.

Hospitals and markets have also come under attack. An October 11 strike attributed to the RSF on Um Darfa Hospital in Blue Nile state seriously injured two health workers and forced the facility to cease operations.

“Scores of civilians have been killed, including internally displaced persons, and vital infrastructure and services have been eviscerated, driving further displacement and deepening the already severe humanitarian crisis,” OHCHR spokesperson Seif Magango said.

Separately, a drone attack on October 19 targeting Amiet Market and the Todach area in Abyei, a disputed oil-rich region between Sudan and South Sudan, killed more than 80 people, according to the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

UNISFA peacekeepers were among the first to reach the scene, where shops were engulfed in flames, said Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Farooq, commander of the mission's Pakistani battalion.

The mission deployed emergency response and firefighting teams and transported more than 27 injured people to its hospital in Todach, Acting Force Commander Brigadier General Adebowale Ajabge said.

Angelina Musa Diaw, a trader and mother of three, described the devastation caused by the attack.

“No work, everything is gone,” she said. “I am here with my children. But I need help.”

The UN Security Council on Friday condemned the attack in Abyei in the strongest terms, warning that the death toll could rise as UNISFA continued to verify casualties.

Council members stressed that attacks against civilians could constitute war crimes and called for a full, transparent and prompt investigation, with those responsible brought to account.

They also reaffirmed that Abyei must remain demilitarized and free of armed forces other than UNISFA, urging all parties to halt military operations and work with the mission to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and peacekeepers.

Türk called on the warring parties to comply with international humanitarian law, including the prohibition on directing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

He also urged broader peace efforts to address the continued flow of weapons into Sudan, warning that arms transfers were fueling the conflict and contributing to violations of protections for civilians.

“I urge both parties to the conflict, and their affiliates, to commit to a ceasefire,” Türk said, adding that a negotiated settlement centered on human rights and accountability was the only viable path toward lasting peace in Sudan. (ILKHA)