UN Report Accuses Both Sides in Sudan of Arbitrary Detention and Torture as Drone Use Escalates

A new United Nations report has placed Sudan’s warring parties under international scrutiny, accusing both sides of weaponising detention, torture, and enforced disappearance to suppress the country’s embattled population. The findings, presented in Geneva, paint a bleak picture of a conflict in which civilians remain trapped between two forces willing to deploy extreme measures to consolidate control.

Patterns of Abuse Documented

According to the UN, arbitrary arrests and incommunicado detentions have become systematic tools in the Sudanese war, with victims often held without access to legal representation or family contact. The report details recurring allegations of torture during interrogation and cases of individuals vanishing into unofficial detention facilities. Such practices, the UN warned, are deepening fear among civilians and undermining any prospect of accountability.

Rising Concern Over Drone Warfare

Beyond the human rights violations, the report highlights the expanding role of armed drones in the conflict as a growing source of alarm. The increasing deployment of unmanned aerial systems by both sides has changed the character of the fighting, allowing strikes to be carried out with limited accountability and raising fresh questions about the protection of non-combatants. UN officials stressed that the proliferation of drone technology is reshaping the battlefield and complicating humanitarian response efforts.

Implications for the Civilian Population

Human rights monitors have consistently warned that ordinary Sudanese bear the heaviest burden of the war, with millions displaced and essential services collapsing. The latest UN findings reinforce those concerns, suggesting that abuses are not incidental to the conflict but central to how each side seeks to assert authority. Civil society groups have called for an independent international mechanism to document violations and pursue those responsible.

Calls for International Action

The report is expected to add pressure on the international community to move beyond statements of concern and adopt more concrete measures, including targeted sanctions and a credible pathway toward justice for victims. With mediation efforts stalled and fighting continuing across multiple fronts, the UN’s findings underscore the urgency of coordinated diplomatic engagement to halt the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Sudan.

Source: AllAfrica — read the original report.