Sudan drones caused two-thirds of child casualties: UN

Armed drones caused an estimated two-thirds of children killed or injured in Sudan between January and September, the United Nations children's agency UNICEF said Tuesday.

UNICEF said 410 children were killed or injured in Sudan during the period. James Elder, a UNICEF spokesman, told reporters in Geneva that an estimated 270 of those casualties were caused by armed drones.

Elder said drones were bringing the war to places that were once safe and damaging access to safety, education and water. He said an escalation in drone strikes on civilian infrastructure was worsening the effects of drought.

Sudan's war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the regular army has raged since April 2023. Aid workers estimate it has killed more than 200,000 people, and the conflict has triggered major hunger and displacement crises.

The United Nations said more than 1,100 people were killed in drone attacks across Sudan during the first half of the year. Elder said as many as 15 drone strikes hit power stations across the country in October alone.

When power stations are hit, water pumps and treatment systems stop, Elder said, forcing families toward expensive and unsafe alternatives and increasing the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera.

Elder warned that an estimated 825,000 children under five are expected to suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition this year. He said UNICEF's operations in Sudan were one-third funded.