A shop-lined street in Khartoum, Sudan, in an undated file photo. It does not show any recent event. Photo: Hans Birger Nilsen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

SUDAN · CONFLICT

Sudan’s war has become a drone war for its children: two in three child casualties this year were caused by drones, UNICEF says. UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency, gave the figure at a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday 10 November 2026.

Its spokesperson James Elder said an armed drone struck a power station on every day of the last week of October, and up to 15 were hit in the month. Without power, water pumps stop, and UNICEF also expects 825,000 children under five to suffer severe acute malnutrition this year.

What UNICEF Said in Geneva

Elder spoke after a visit to Sudan. “This year in Sudan, two in three child casualties were caused by drones,” he said, adding that armed drones are bringing the war to places that were once safe.

UNICEF’s written remarks say people in Sudan talk about three things: safety, education and water. It says armed drones are taking all three.

In El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, drones hit a UNICEF warehouse on 20 September 2026. UNICEF says the strikes destroyed more than 292,000 school textbooks and 40,000 Arabic and mathematics review books.

File photo, 2024. A street in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, with roadside stalls at dusk; it does not show the events in this report. Photo: Tawsol58, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Why Power Stations Matter to Children

“In Sudan, power is water,” Elder said. When a power station is hit, water pumps and water treatment stop, and families turn to expensive and unsafe alternatives.

UNICEF says cholera is again appearing in pockets of the hardest-to-reach communities, including among displaced families. It also warns that the cold storage that keeps vaccines and medicines usable is threatened.

Drought on Top of Drones

Farmers lose irrigation because their pumps run on electricity and fuel is critically short, Elder said. UNICEF says the planting window for the 2026–27 cereal harvest has largely closed, and late rains cannot undo the damage.

An estimated 825,000 children under five are expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition this year, the type that kills. UNICEF says its response in Sudan is only one-third funded.

Who Is Behind the Strikes?

Elder told journalists that humanitarian agencies cannot establish who was behind the October strikes on power stations. The war is being fought between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

UNICEF makes three demands: an end to violence against children and to attacks on power and water systems, and safe access across conflict lines. Its third demand is urgent, sustained and flexible funding for water, health care, treatment of malnutrition, education and protection.

What Is Not Known

UNICEF’s written remarks do not give a count of the children killed or wounded this year, only the share caused by drones. It also does not say which armed group launched the strikes on power stations.

We have not matched the two-in-three share against a separate count. It therefore stands as UNICEF’s own figure.

What It Means for Readers

For readers outside Sudan, the pairing shows how damage to a power grid can become a hunger and disease risk. UNICEF says its own Sudan response is one-third funded, and it lists urgent funding among its three demands.

Read more on a drone strike in Blue Nile, Sudan’s fuel shortage and hunger risk and the army’s claims in Kordofan.

More: Sudan news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did UNICEF say about drones in Sudan?

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said on 10 November 2026 that two in three child casualties in Sudan this year were caused by drones. He said drones are bringing the war to places that were once safe.

Why do attacks on power stations hurt children?

When a power station is hit, water pumps and water treatment stop, and families turn to unsafe water. UNICEF says cholera is appearing again and that vaccine cold storage is at risk.

How many Sudanese children face severe malnutrition?

UNICEF estimates that 825,000 children under five in Sudan will suffer severe acute malnutrition this year. It says its response is one-third funded.

Who is fighting in Sudan?

The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group, are fighting each other. Elder told journalists that humanitarian agencies cannot establish who launched the October strikes on power stations.

Sources: UNICEF Geneva briefing remarks, “Drones and drought in Sudan: a combined assault on children like nothing seen before”, 10 November 2026 (UNICEF); United Nations report of the same briefing, 10 November 2026 (UN News, the UN’s own news service).

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