Sudan’s humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, as drone strikes target civilians in Kordofan region

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc

February 12, 2026

HRRC calls on the international community to prioritize mediation efforts toward a ceasefire and negotiate an end Sudan's civil war, considering the widespread humanitarian toll and devastation enacted by both sides of the conflict over the last three years. We especially draw attention to the use of drone warfare in the country, and stress that drones, as seen in other global conflicts, are routinely used to target civilians. We reiterate that the use of drones to target health care centers, humanitarian convoys, and places of worship constitutes war crimes. 

People fill water containers at a free distribution point due to water outages in Khartoum, Sudan, on Jan. 30, 2026. [Image credit: AP Photo/Marwan Ali, File]

Three years into Sudan’s civil war, the country’s humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, as the expansion of the conflict into the Kordofan region and the introduction of drones by both sides of the conflict has created intense suffering for civilians trapped between the two sides of the war. 

Kordofan, an oil-rich region of central Sudan divided into three states (North, South, and West Kordofan), has been at the epicenter of the civil war since the end of 2025, after victories by the paramilitary Rapid Response Force (RSF) in Sudan’s western Darfur region, which culminated in the brutal siege and capture of Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, in October of last year. 

RSF forces have since escalated their attacks on Kordofan, even as the country’s military, the Sudan Defense Force (SDF), has battled to retake key cities in South Kordofan state, including the capital, Kadulgi. The conflict between the two factions in Kordofan has led to immense civilian suffering, and over 100,000 Sudanese have reportedly fled the region since October. 

The introduction of drones into the conflict has further increased the risks to civilians. Since the beginning of 2026 alone, at least 90 civilians have been killed and 142 injured from drone strikes carried out by both the RSF and SDF. Health care facilities, humanitarian aid convoys, and mosques have been direct targets of attacks, likely constituting war crimes. 

The use of drones showcases the transnational nature of the conflict. Chinese-made drones have reportedly been delivered to the RSF by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the RSF’s principle backer in the conflict. Separately, a New York Times report found that some drone strikes carried out to support the SDF have originated from an airbase in Egypt. 

As Sudan approaches three years of its devastating civil war, one marked by war crimes, crimes against humanity and accusations of genocide, the international community “can only expect worse to come” as the conflict continues to expand, according to UN human rights chief Volker Türk. Civilians have endured famine, widespread disease outbreaks, and sexual violence. The RSF is estimated to have murdered at least 60,000 people during its capture of El Fasher alone, in what one humanitarian analyst called a “slaughterhouse.”

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Glossary 

• Ceasefire – a cessation of hostilities, although not a full peace deal, between warring parties. 

• Convoy – groups of vehicles traveling together, in this case to deliver aid. 

• Crimes against humanity – crimes that violate the human rights of an individual or population, including mass killing of civilians, sexual violence, and intentional starvation of civilian populations. 

• Cumulated – ultimately resulted in. 

• Deteriorate – worsen. 

• Drone – unmanned, remote-controlled pilotless aircraft. Militaries often use drones for surveillance or for dropping missiles onto military targets. 

• Epicenter – a central focus point of an event or conflict. 

• Escalate – increase in intensity or severity. 

• Famine – mass starvation leading to death by malnutrition. 

• Genocide – the intention to kill, in whole or in part, a given religious, ethnic, racial, or political group. 

• Humanitarian – pertaining to the basic needs of a person to fulfill the basic necessities of life, including water, food, shelter, and protection from diseases and violence. 

• Mediation – finding a resolution to a conflict through dialogue. 

• Paramilitary – a military-like force not belonging to the official military of a country. 

• Principle – foremost or most prominent. 

• Routinely – regularly, with frequency. 

• Siege – preventing goods or food from entering a given location to ultimately cause its surrender to armed forces.

• Transnational – an event that involves actors from multiple countries. 

• War crimes – crimes that violate the conduct of war, including but not limited to the intentional targeting of civilians, mistreatment of prisoners of war, and the use of torture.