In Nyala, a city in southwestern Sudan, recent drone attacks have overwhelmed local medical resources. Residents reported an incident last week where a drone struck a market while people were purchasing food and drinking tea at cafes. The aftermath required donkey carts and three-wheeled taxis to transport the dead and wounded. At a hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders, staff were so inundated that security guards had to assist in unloading victims. Dale Koninckx, the local project coordinator for the charity, noted that many injured individuals suffered from shrapnel wounds or severe burns.
Volker Türk, the United Nations human rights chief, stated last month that the use of drones in Sudan's civil war is accelerating. These weapons have allowed both the Sudanese military and its adversary, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, to strike deep within enemy territory far beyond traditional front lines. Despite this increased reach, analysts argue that sophisticated drones have not provided either side with a decisive military advantage. Instead, they have become the number one cause of civilian deaths this year, compounding the effects of famine and a drought that now covers half of Sudan.
Experts suggest that the primary beneficiaries of this drone warfare are the Turkish and Chinese companies manufacturing the devices, along with foreign powers supplying or funding them. Andreas Krieg, an associate professor of security studies at King's College London, described the conflict as a war of attrition. He explained that the strategy involves grinding down the opposing side to erode their willingness to sustain pressure and cost.
Sources: The New York Times World.