Sudan drone attacks endanger civilians, strain aid response: UN

UNITED NATIONS -- UN humanitarians warned on Monday that continuing drone attacks in Sudan are killing civilians, damaging critical infrastructure and deepening already severe humanitarian needs across the country.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the attacks have increasingly targeted populated areas and healthcare facilities, further constraining access to essential services as the conflict nears its third year.

OCHA said that in White Nile State, a drone strike on Al-Jabalain Hospital last Thursday reportedly killed 10 health workers and injured 22 others, forcing major disruptions to medical services.

In a social media post over the weekend, Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, called for the protection of medical personnel and facilities, stressing that international humanitarian law requires such safeguards.

"These incidents are part of a broader pattern of attacks on healthcare in Sudan," OCHA said.

The office said that since the conflict began nearly three years ago, the World Health Organization has verified more than 200 attacks on healthcare facilities, resulting in over 2,000 deaths. In the first quarter of this year alone, 13 attacks were verified, killing 184 people and injuring nearly 300 others.

In Blue Nile State, drone strikes last Wednesday hit a Balila village market and other localities, reportedly killing seven civilians.

Escalating insecurity has also triggered fresh displacement.

The International Organization for Migration said more than 10,000 people were displaced from Kurmuk locality between mid-February and late March, with many crossing into neighboring Ethiopia.

OCHA said that families newly uprooted to the state capital, Ed Damazine, face acute shortages of food, healthcare and shelter. At the same time, women and children are exposed to heightened risks of violence and abuse. Humanitarian access in the area remains constrained.

However, the office said that despite mounting challenges, humanitarian operations continue. The UN Sudan Humanitarian Fund has allocated nearly 200 million U.S. dollars to deliver life-saving assistance to about 4 million people.

OCHA said that as the third anniversary of the start of the conflict nears, more than 1.6 million people have returned to the capital, Khartoum, in recent months, even as explosive remnants of war and damaged infrastructure continue to pose serious risks.

UN agencies are scaling up their presence, including reopening additional offices in the city.

Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Guterres' personal envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, is continuing regional meetings aimed at de-escalation and civilian protection.

Haavisto, currently in Nairobi, met with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, following talks last week with Sudan's army chief and Transitional Sovereign Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

"The meetings afforded a constructive opportunity to exchange views and explore practical avenues for de-escalation and the protection of civilians," Dujarric said, adding that all parties expressed readiness to cooperate with the United Nations.

"This is encouraging and must swiftly translate into concrete progress towards ending the suffering of all Sudanese, once and for all," he said.

Dujarric said UN humanitarian teams are expanding operations in Khartoum, with Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown returning to the capital with a core team. While most OCHA staff remain in Port Sudan, several UN agencies have reopened offices in Khartoum after being closed since the war began.

"As the three-year mark of hostilities in Sudan approaches, we reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health facilities, an immediate cessation of hostilities, and rapid, safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access," Dujarric said.

He also said that funding is urgently needed.

Sudan's 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which seeks 2.9 billion dollars to assist more than 20 million people, is only 16 percent funded, with 465 million dollars received so far.