At least 880 civilians were killed in drone strikes in Sudan between January and April this year, according to the United Nations human rights office, which warns that the increased use of drones risks intensifying violence in the ongoing civil war.

Drone strikes in Sudan "accounted for at least 880 civilian deaths - more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths" in the first four months of this year, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

"Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths," high commissioner Volker Turk, said in a statement, adding that the use of drones allows fighting to continue "unabated" in the rainy season, which in the past has seen a lull.

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Tens of thousands of civilians been killed in the three years of war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has displaced over 11 million and pushed several areas into famine.

But now, Turk warned, "unless action is taken without delay, this conflict is on the cusp of entering yet another new, even deadlier phase".

Drones used for repeated strikes

Most of the drone strikes that killed civilians were recorded in the Kordofan region and Darfur, though the use of drones is spreading to other regions, including Blue Nile, White Nile, and Khartoum.

Drones have been used to repeatedly strike civilian infrastructure, "diminishing access to sufficient food, clean water and health care", according to the rights office.

Markets and health facilities have been repeated targets.

"An intensification of hostilities in the coming weeks, as the parties seek to gain or consolidate control of territory amid shifting conflict dynamics, risks hostilities expanding... with lethal consequences for civilians across enormous areas," he said, calling for robust measures to prevent the transfer of arms, including advanced armed drones, to the warring parties.

(with newswires)