The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has issued a strong warning about the escalating use of drones in Sudan’s conflict, highlighting how these attacks are endangering hospitals, power grids, and water systems — the very infrastructure keeping millions alive.
Speaking from Geneva, Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s Regional Director for Africa, said that attacks on essential services were intensifying the humanitarian crisis and worsening an already dire human rights situation. “We’re witnessing a surge in the use of drone technology that’s not only militarizing the skies but also deepening civilian suffering,” Youssef said.
One such strike recently knocked out the electricity supply to an entire area near Khartoum, illustrating the growing reach and destructiveness of remote warfare in the country. The Red Cross fears that such attacks could trigger outbreaks of disease like cholera due to crippled water systems.
Youssef noted that roughly 70 to 80 percent of hospitals are currently out of service across the country. “We’re looking at a collapse of the health system while millions remain displaced and vulnerable,” he said. Since the start of the war on April 15, 2023, an estimated 12 million people have been uprooted from their homes.
Despite some displaced families beginning to return to Khartoum, the power struggle between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues with no end in sight. Both groups have been accused of obstructing humanitarian access. In March, aid workers reported new RSF restrictions on relief convoys, while the army has also been blamed for limiting access to RSF-held areas. Both factions deny any wrongdoing.
Youssef called on the warring sides to respect international humanitarian law and allow Red Cross teams to safely reach affected communities, provide aid, and bear witness to violations on the ground.
“This is not just a war of weapons,” he said. “It’s a war tearing apart the systems that sustain life.”
