UN alarmed by reports of drone strikes killing at least 17 civilians in Sudan

The UN expressed deep concern Sunday over reports that drone strikes killed at least 17 civilians, including women and children, in Sudan's West Kordofan state.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan said a drone strike reportedly hit a building sheltering displaced families in An Nuhud on Oct. 9.

At least 12 civilians, including women and children, were reportedly killed, and eight others injured, the office said in a statement.

On the same day, another drone strike reportedly killed five civilians, including three children, in a residential neighborhood hosting displaced families in Ghubaish town, according to the UN office.

OCHA said the victims had already been forced from their homes by conflict, only to face further violence in places where they had sought safety.

The increasing frequency of drone strikes across Sudan is "deeply alarming," the office said, warning that the attacks expose civilians, including displaced families, to further death, injury and suffering.

"International humanitarian law must be respected, and civilians and civilian infrastructure protected," it said.

The UN office stressed that people fleeing violence must be able to find safety without facing further threats to their lives.

The statement did not identify those responsible for the strikes.

Sudan's three Kordofan states—North, West and South—have witnessed fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since Oct. 25, 2025.

Sudan has been engulfed in war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, leaving tens of thousands dead and displacing around 13 million people, according to UN and international estimates.