Humanitarian Workers Threatened by Drone Warfare: UN
Humanitarian aid workers are facing increasing risks as armed drones become more common and are used in conflicts around the world, according to the United Nations.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued this warning on World Humanitarian Day, observed on August 19. They reported that 907 aid workers were victims of violence in 2025, including 350 fatalities, marking the second-highest annual death toll on record.
Violence against aid workers has persisted into 2026. Data from the Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database shows that, as of this writing, 82 aid workers have been killed, 97 injured, and 39 kidnapped this year.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern over the threats, arrests, and detentions faced by humanitarian workers, as well as the misinformation, funding cuts, and restrictions on access that humanitarian organizations are dealing with.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 23rd anniversary of the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Guterres remembered the 22 UN staff members killed in the 2003 attack and called on staff to continue upholding the values for which their colleagues had sacrificed their lives.
Gaza remained the deadliest location for aid workers in 2025, for the third consecutive year, with 186 workers killed, primarily due to aerial bombardments.
In Sudan, 71 aid workers were killed in 2025, the highest number recorded in five years of conflict, mostly from small-arms fire. Other countries where aid workers faced significant security threats included Ukraine, Ethiopia, Syria, Haiti, Chad, and Cameroon, with incidents ranging from kidnappings to aerial attacks.
The UN also highlighted the changing nature of conflicts due to the growing use of armed drones. These relatively inexpensive and adaptable weapons can conduct attacks over longer distances and are increasingly employed in populated areas.
In Sudan, OCHA reported that armed drones were responsible for 80% of civilian deaths during the first four months of 2026, with markets and health facilities among the targets. In Ukraine, drone attacks killed 80 civilians in April alone, while attacks in Russia have also resulted in civilian deaths and infrastructure damage. Colombia saw a fourfold increase in attacks involving weaponized drones between 2024 and 2025.
Humanitarian and health workers are also increasingly at risk from these attacks. The World Health Organization has documented 639 attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel so far in 2022. In March, an aid worker was killed when a drone struck a residential building in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Four humanitarian convoys in Ukraine were also attacked during one week in May.
UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher stated that over 1,000 aid workers had been killed in the past three years, emphasizing the urgent need for protection and security measures.
