UN Urges Drone Regulation in Conflict Zones Amid War Crime Concerns

Ekhbary News Agency | 2024-05-14

GENEVA — The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for urgent international regulation of autonomous weapons systems, such as drones, amid the escalating risk of war crimes. He stated that over 1,000 civilians in Sudan have been killed this year by drone attacks, highlighting the need for accountability and preventative measures.

Warning Issued on Drone Use in Conflicts

Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Türk described a global shift in warfare, pointing to the role of deadly, unmanned drones in conflicts across Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Myanmar, and the Middle East. "The UN has warned for many years against the development of lethal autonomous weapons," he said. "This reality is now upon us." He noted that relentless drone attacks in Ukraine have caused mass casualties and terrorized civilians. In Sudan, specifically, he reported that more than 1,000 civilians had been killed by indiscriminate drone strikes this year alone. The US-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) observed an 81% increase in drone attacks and a 600% increase in drone-related deaths in Sudan between 2024 and 2025. UK Minister for Africa and International Development, Jenny Chapman, concurred, stating, "Sudan's warring parties have increased their brutality from the skies... This is deplorable and must stop." She emphasized the importance of documenting abuses and preserving evidence to break the cycle of impunity.

Calls for International Regulation Grow

Türk expressed concern that the increased use of unmanned systems is creating a "new circle of hell" for non-combatants in warzones, a situation potentially exacerbated by advances in artificial intelligence (AI). He urged states to urgently consider the moral and legal questions raised, to agree on a common approach that protects civilian lives, and to recommit to diplomacy and mediation. Countries need to update their legal frameworks to "require human control and ensure accountability." For what it's worth, the prospect of AI-enabled weapons, however advanced, must not become a license for atrocity crimes.