External supports, including weapons, military technology, fighters and logistical networks, are prolonging Sudan's civil war conflict and enabling the warring sides to carry out drone strikes against civilians in remote areas, a U.N. fact-finding mission revealed Thursday.
Sudan's war, which erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has displaced more than 14 million people and created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
In a report, the U.N. mission said more than 1,000 people were killed in drone strikes in the first five months of 2026, accusing both sides of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in drone operations, with some conduct amounting to war crimes.
The RSF and Sudan's military did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. In the past, both have denied abuses.
The mission said investigators found grounds to believe a network involving individuals and entities in the United Arab Emirates, Chad, Libya and Somalia supplied the RSF with weapons, equipment, logistics, training and foreign personnel.
