Sudan’s Drone War Is Escalating — And Civilians Are Paying the Price

Witness accounts indicate that the drone hit the town’s main market area, and two witnesses said it struck a crowded restaurant inside the market, which likely explains the high number of casualties.

A local rights monitoring group, Emergency Lawyers, also reported at least 28 deaths and dozens wounded. The group accused the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of carrying out the strike, although the military has generally denied intentionally targeting civilians, leaving the exact responsibility disputed pending independent verification.

Part of a Growing Pattern of Drone Attacks

The Ghubaysh attack is not an isolated incident. Drone strikes have become increasingly frequent across Kordofan and Darfur, regions that have turned into key frontlines in the war.

Recent reports show multiple similar incidents:

• In March 2026, at least 28 civilians were killed in two drone attacks, including 22 people at a market in North Darfur and others on a road in Kordofan.
• Earlier strikes also targeted crowded markets in Kordofan localities, causing large civilian casualties.

These attacks illustrate a broader pattern: markets, transport routes, and other civilian gathering points have repeatedly been hit as fighting intensifies in contested areas. Drone warfare allows both sides to strike deep behind front lines with limited risk to their own forces.

UN Warning: Drones Now the Leading Cause of Civilian Deaths

The United Nations has warned that the conflict is entering a more dangerous phase because of the rapid spread of drone warfare.

According to the UN human rights office, armed drones caused more than 80% of recorded civilian deaths in Sudan during the first four months of 2026, killing at least 880 people in that period alone.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the trend is alarming, noting that drones have become “by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths” in the war.

UN officials also warned that the increasing reliance on drones risks escalating the conflict further while exposing civilians to greater danger, especially in densely populated areas such as markets.

Why Markets Are So Vulnerable

Markets in Sudan’s war‑affected regions are often crowded with civilians and located near transport routes or informal checkpoints. When military targets such as vehicles, fighters, or supply points are present nearby, these locations become particularly vulnerable to aerial strikes.

In some reported cases, drones appear to have targeted vehicles or fighters in or near markets, with explosions then hitting nearby civilian areas — a dynamic that can rapidly produce mass casualties.

Because drones can strike quickly and from long distances, they also allow forces to hit targets in territory firmly controlled by the opposing side, including towns far from active ground battles.

A War Entering Its Fourth Year

The broader backdrop is Sudan’s devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April 2023 during a power struggle between the two groups.

As the conflict drags into its fourth year, analysts say there is little prospect of a quick resolution, and diplomatic initiatives have struggled to change the battlefield dynamics.

The growing use of drones underscores how the war is evolving. Rather than large conventional battles alone, both sides are increasingly relying on remote strikes that can hit towns, markets, and infrastructure far from the front lines.

What the Ghubaysh Strike Reveals

The deadly market attack illustrates several realities of Sudan’s current conflict:

• Drone warfare is expanding rapidly, allowing strikes across large distances.
• Civilian spaces such as markets are increasingly exposed, especially in contested regions like Kordofan and Darfur.
• Peace efforts have failed to slow the violence, even as the humanitarian crisis worsens.

For civilians in these regions, the shift toward drone warfare means the danger is no longer limited to battlefields. Increasingly, everyday places — markets, roads, and neighborhoods — have become potential targets in one of the world’s most severe ongoing conflicts.