Nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in the military drone attacks in Africa, and the flood of drones spreads across Africa’s African region, a report said.
At least 50 individual fatal strikes in Africa have been confirmed in the three years to November 2024, with analysts describing a “pattern of civilian harm” with little or no accountability.
Although the rapid growth of armed drones deployed in Ukraine and Russia has been under scrutiny, a few focus is on the use of upgraded use in Africa, such as new imported cheaper drones such as Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2.
“This has to change. Unless the international community rapidly develops and implements new control systems, we are likely to see more examples of the use of armed drones to kill civilians,” Morris said.
So far, the use of armed drones has been confirmed in at least six conflicts in Africa: Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, where most attacks have been seen.
Ethiopian armed forces’ drone strikes against opponents such as Tigray’s People’s Liberation Front were found killing more than 490 civilians in 26 separate attacks.
Elsewhere, at least 64 civilians died from nine independent drone strikes fought by the Mali armed forces against separatist groups in the north of the country. In neighboring Burkina Faso, researchers found more than 100 civilians were killed during a drone strike conducted by the country’s military.
The British UAV War Report says the proliferation of armed drones in Africa has resulted in the killing of more than 940 civilians since November 2021, a number described as conservative.
Most armed drones in Africa are imported along with China and Iran, and researchers alerted the growing popularity of “medium-level, long-endurance” (male) drones.
These can fly long-range for more than hours over a larger distance, for surveillance and air strikes.
During the Sudan civil war, the spread and risks of armed drones in African conflicts in densely populated areas (such as the capital Khartoum market) have seen the spread and risks of armed drones in the African conflict, causing “serious” consequences for civilians. The report said the Sudanese military has deployed Iranian, Chinese and Turkish drones, while its rival (RSF) uses UAE-powered drones.
In Burkina Faso, Burkinaby troops deployed Bayraktar TB2 in their fight against the Mujahideen rebellion. The state-sponsored media regularly use so-called sophisticated, precise drone technology to celebrate the “neutralization” of terrorists.
However, narratives derived from the ground often produce different narratives, suggesting that civilians often die. In August 2023, an incident in the country’s Sahel region attacked a market in the village of Bruro, killing at least 28 civilians.
The report said: “The wholesale celebration of the strike by the Bruro market by the Bruro market depends on the perception of drone warfare, which is effective, advanced development in the country’s military operations, which demonstrates a technically complex Arsenal, by a vigilant, effective government firmly and effectively in its territory.
“However, the on-site study quickly revealed the falsehood of this photo: exposing an instability explosion in innocent communities, which only sows further destruction and insecurity.”
