Armed drones are now a significant feature of contemporary armed conflict, including in offensive actions by states, in the defence of states against aggression and by non-state actors, as well as by private military contractors and criminal armed groups.
Their use, like that of any other weapon system, must comply with international humanitarian law and MAG's concern is with the humanitarian consequences of their use, particularly the risks to civilians, humanitarian personnel and communities living with explosive contamination.
The use of armed drones is rising at alarming rates. In May this year, the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict highlighted that drone attacks increased by 4,000% between 2020 and 2024.
Such attacks represent an unprecedented threat on civilians living in conflict zones, particularly in urban settings. In Sudan, the UN recently found that drone strikes were responsible for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths - some 880 deaths - between January and April 2026. In Ukraine, the use of short-range drones resulted in a 120% increase in civilian casualties in 2025, from the previous year.
Alongside unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs, manufactured armed drones), the uncontrolled proliferation and easy adaptation of commercial drones pose an escalating threat to the communities MAG works to support and protect.
Acknowledging the seismic shift this has caused across the conflict environments in which we operate, MAG signed this year’s Joint Civil Society Statement on Armed Drones, delivered last week at the UN General Assembly Committee on Disarmament and International Security.
The impact of armed drones
Many aspects of armed drone use exacerbate harm to which MAG is already responding. A broad range of drone-dropped explosive items – including conventional, adapted, manufactured and improvised explosive ordnance, including anti-personnel mines and submunitions, as well as failed or deliberately crashed one way attack drones that may still carry a warhead or other explosive payload – present an explosive hazard to which our humanitarian mine action operations must adjust.
This multitude of differing items presents challenges for identification, survey, reporting and safe clearance. It also presents complex considerations for risk education due to communities’ lack of familiarity with drones and the various munitions they drop. The relatively low cost and rapid deployment of drones means that areas can be contaminated – and re-contaminated – rapidly, unpredictably, and over a wide area.
Drones also have the potential to increase the frequency and impact of use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) that motivated the 2022 Political Declaration.
The impact on humanitarian space is significant. The Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel was developed in 2024 in response to the growing number of attacks on and incidents involving aid workers. The proliferation of armed drones creates additional threats to humanitarian personnel and can severely restrict the ability of humanitarian organisations to operate safely and reach affected communities. The rapid global expansion of armed drone use only accelerates this trend. The extended range of first person drones reduces safe humanitarian space, at times forcing MAG’s to suspend or relocate our operations in order to keep our teams safe.
Use of armed drones also brings unique harms – notably, the psychological pressures on civilians and humanitarian workers caused by constant threat from the air. The pursuit of individuals by piloted armed drones, sometimes in widely viewed footage, is another alarming development specific to this weaponry. In contexts where drone use is widespread, explosive ordnance risk education activities alone are no longer sufficient to support safer behaviours, and approaches are increasingly evolving towards Conflict Prevention and Protection (strategies designed to help civilians amidst conflict) to inform communities how to remain safe from drone attacks.
Mitigating harm
Efforts to prevent both exacerbated and unique harms must be multi-faceted. While the humanitarian mine action response can evolve to better protect people from the consequences of drone use, the only way to truly protect civilians is for all parties to uphold the core principles of international humanitarian law – refraining from targeting civilians, civilian objects and humanitarian workers, and from indiscriminate attacks, including where the use of explosive weapons in populated areas would be indiscriminate. Emphasising that these rules are incontrovertible regardless of the means or method of warfare is more important than ever given the physical detachment of armed drones from the conflict parties accountable for using them. It is also essential that drone-delivered munitions that fall within the scope of existing treaties like the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the Convention on Cluster Munitions are reported and addressed appropriately. MAG is working closely with other experts in the mine action sector to share operational experiences and understand the implications for these existing frameworks, given the potential for certain types of drone or drone use to meet the criteria of a cluster munition or anti-personnel mine and therefore fall within these treaties.
We are also working with other stakeholders in the broader disarmament sector to inform and advocate for adaptation of arms control mechanisms. The adaptable and modular nature of commercial drones in particular requires the international community to act quickly and coherently to ensure that existing controls remain relevant to rapidly evolving technologies and patterns of use. MAG supports further examination of how existing international arms control and transfer frameworks can respond effectively to the rapid evolution of armed drone technologies, with particular attention to preventing unlawful use and reducing civilian harm. Any proposed measures should be evidence-based, proportionate and informed by their potential humanitarian and operational consequences. This means looking beyond complete platforms to the software, firmware, component parts and other capabilities that can enable civilian technologies to be adapted for military use, and considering how existing transfer controls and frameworks such as the Arms Trade Treaty can be interpreted and implemented to better reflect that reality.
However, unique harms remain beyond the scope of existing frameworks. The increasing integration of autonomous functions into armed drone systems raises additional legal, ethical and humanitarian questions. Dialogue on regulation of drones must continue, including on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) under the CCW. Steps must be taken to mitigate the impact of armed drones on civilian, and to regulate this technology as it continues to develop.
Armed drones are fundamentally changing the nature of contemporary conflict, creating new challenges for civilian protection and humanitarian response. While their military applications vary, the obligations of parties to armed conflict under international humanitarian law remain unchanged. MAG will continue to document and respond to the humanitarian consequences of their use, adapt our operations to emerging explosive threats, and contribute our operational expertise to international discussions on appropriate safeguards and regulation. As these technologies evolve, protecting civilians and ensuring accountability must remain central to the international response.
