Key Takeaways
- Two in three child casualties in Sudan this year were killed by armed drones, according to UNICEF.
- Child victims of drone strikes in Sudan: Arab News, citing the UN, reported two-thirds of child casualties, 270 of 410 victims, and dated the 410 count to January to September 2023. By WYDE's arithmetic, 270 of 410 is 66 percent.
- Power station strikes in Sudan: UN News reported at least 15 in October. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder put it at up to 15, and said agencies like UNICEF could not tell who was behind them.
Two in three child casualties in Sudan this year were killed by armed drones, according to UNICEF. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said so on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, described unprecedented attacks on Sudan's infrastructure, including by drones travelling up to 1,500 kilometres before hitting their target.
Child casualties in Sudan: the 270 of 410 count and its periods
Elder said: "This year in Sudan, two in three child casualties were killed by armed drones." In this story, casualties means children killed or injured. Arab News described its 410 count as children killed or injured.
By WYDE's arithmetic, 270 out of 410 is 66 percent, just under two in three. Arab News dated the 410 count to January to September 2023.
Arab News was the only one of the two reports to give a count of child victims. Its opening paragraph, citing the UN, reported that drone strikes caused two-thirds of child casualties in Sudan this year, affecting 270 out of 410 victims. A later paragraph gave 410 children killed or injured in Sudan from January to September 2023. Arab News gives the two-thirds share for this year and dates the 410 count to January to September 2023. Its story does not say how the two relate.
UN News did not print the 270 or 410 figures, so the only report of the count in this story is Arab News, which cites the UN.
Both reports gave the same share, two in three or two-thirds.
Power station strikes in Sudan: UN News reported at least 15 in October, UNICEF said up to 15
UN News reported at least 15 strikes on Sudanese power stations in October. Elder put the number at up to 15 for the month. Elder said that in the last week of October, not a single day passed without a drone strike on a power station in Sudan. Elder put it plainly: "It is an assault unlike anything Sudan has seen before."
Drones also travelled long distances. UN News reported that drones travelled up to 1,500 kilometres before hitting their target, and that increasingly accurate long-range drones were used in the last 12 months. Elder said there was a use of suicide drones in Sudan several years ago, and called it terrifying to see.
Elder said: "When a power station is struck, water pumps stop, water treatment stops." UNICEF said families were forced into expensive and unsafe alternatives. UNICEF also said that Sudan's energy sector, like Ukraine's, is being struck repeatedly. Unlike in Ukraine, Sudanese targets are not repaired.
Who is behind the drone strikes in Sudan: what UNICEF cannot verify
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder explained that it was impossible for humanitarian agencies like UNICEF to ascertain who was behind the strikes on Sudanese power stations in October. The counts in this story record attacks and victims. They do not identify who carried out the attacks.
Elder said: "They are bringing war to places that were once safe." He also said that people in Sudan talked about safety, education and water, and that drones were taking all three.
The war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the regular army has raged since April 2023. Arab News reported aid workers' estimate that the war has killed more than 200,000 people. UNICEF said its response in Sudan was just one-third funded, a figure both reports carry.
People Also Ask
What did UNICEF say about drones and child casualties in Sudan?
UNICEF said on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, that this year in Sudan two in three child casualties were killed by armed drones. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder made the statement, according to UN News.
How many child victims did drone strikes affect in Sudan this year?
Arab News, citing the UN, reported that drone strikes affected 270 of 410 victims this year. It also dated 410 children killed or injured from January to September 2023. By WYDE's arithmetic, 270 of 410 is 66 percent.
How many strikes hit power stations in Sudan in October?
UN News reported at least 15 strikes on Sudanese power stations in October. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said up to 15 were hit that month, and explained that humanitarian agencies like UNICEF could not ascertain who was behind them.
How far did drones travel in Sudan?
UN News reported that drones travelled up to 1,500 kilometres before hitting their target in Sudan. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder also described increasingly accurate long-range drones used in the last 12 months.