Heavy fighting reported in Sudan as UN blames drones for civilian deaths

Sudan — Heavy fighting is being reported between Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters and Sudanese government forces. The outbreak comes days after the UN reported drones were the leading cause of civilian deaths in the genocidal conflict to which the British are a party.

Drop Site News picked up on a story by local journalist @Bsonblast:

Heavy fighting and drone strikes across western and central Sudan killed and wounded civilians on May 12. In South Kordofan state, near Sudan’s border with South Sudan, RSF and SPLM-N al-Hilu forces shelled the town of Dilling, causing civilian casualties.

Adding:

Drone strikes hit a market, civilian vehicles, and a water well that served as a primary source of water for the community in Kornoi, North Darfur, killing civilians. Additional drone strikes were reported in El Geneina near the Chad border and in Al-Daein, the capital of East Darfur state.

Today's quick update [May 12]:

– RSF/SPLM-N (Alhilu) shelling on Dilling, South Kordofan; civilian deaths & injuries reported.

– Drone strike on a market and civilian vehicles in Kornoi, North Darfur; civilian deaths reported.#KeepEyesOnSudan pic.twitter.com/RgcNcOZ5IE

— Munchkin (@BSonblast) May 13, 2026

The three-year war has killed thousands and displaced millions. RSF, backed by the UAE, is fighting the Sudanese government. Gold interests and regional influence are at stake. Numerous foreign actors, including the UK, have caused the war to fester through active participation and/or outright passivity. Israel, too, is a major player in the war.

As the Canary has reported, the war in Sudan is theoretically between Arab-majority RSF and the Sudanese government. But foreign states pursuing their own interests are backing the combatants.

Egypt backs the government, alongside Russia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Israel has backed both sides at different times. RSF has killed Sudanese civilians in vast numbers. And some estimates say 150,000 people have died overall, with over 10mn displaced by fighting.

Sudan — Drones are killing civilians

The UN reported on 11 May:

Drones caused more than 80 per cent of civilian deaths in Sudan’s war during the first four months of 2026, killing at least 880 people.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned both sides for their use of unmanned aerial weapons:

Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths.

This increasing reliance on drones allows hostilities to continue unabated in the approaching rainy season, which in the past has brought about a lull in ground operations.

The UN said vital health facilities have been targeted a dozen times in 2026:

Health facilities have been hit at least 12 times during the four-month period. Some have closed their doors, which has forced civilians to travel long distances for care or to go without.

There are also reports that aid can’t get to those in need due to combatants making delivery a political game. All Africa reported:

UN estimates indicate that more than 33 million Sudanese, including millions of people in Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile, are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

However:

This assistance is now at risk after the humanitarian file has turned into a political battleground between the warring parties: the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which vie for the legitimacy of granting work permits to organisations.

The Canary reported on 31 March that the UK had downgraded the Sudan crisis on key monitoring lists in order to avoid “pissing off” the Emiratis. The UAE, a major arms customer of the UK, is fueling the conflict by arming RSF. The people of Sudan — itself a former British colony — find themselves living and dying at the meeting point of naked regional ambitions and cold western indifference.

Featured image via the Canary