Report is one of the first to focus on the impact the weapons are having on humanitarian efforts. Copy link. twitter. facebook. whatsapp. Drone attacks are responsible for an increasing share of deaths among humanitarian workers and are disrupting vital aid work in conflict zones, research has shown.
In 2024, 53 healthcare workers and 16 aid workers were killed in drone strikes, an increase of more than 70 per cent on the previous year, according to a report by Insecurity Insight. The report, which documents the use of armed drones in conflict zones around the world, is one of the first to focus on the impact the weapons are having on humanitarian efforts.
While fatalities from drone attacks only account for a small share of the overall humanitarian death toll – preliminary data from 2024 indicates that 292 aid workers and 870 health workers were killed in total – the report’s authors said the sharp rise in drone-related deaths reflects a major shift in the nature of warfare.
They also say the increased drone threat is making vital humanitarian work more difficult and more dangerous. “It’s particularly concerning because it’s new, and reflects the changing face of war,” said Christina Wille, director of Insecurity Insight.
“We should also not solely focus on how many aid workers have died because, in a way, that’s the peak of the iceberg,” she told The Telegraph. “The really big problem is how the use of drones shrinks the humanitarian space more and more, as it becomes more costly, more difficult, and more dangerous to deliver aid with devastating consequences for communities in need.”.
