ABYEI: The death toll from a drone strike Monday on a market in an area disputed between Sudan and South Sudan has risen to 153 and is likely even higher, a local official told AFP on Wednesday.
“The number of causalities is 153 and it may increase any time from now because some victims burned to ashes and the rescuers are doing their best to gather all the bodies in Amiet Market,” said Yohana Akol, interim information minister for Abyei Special Administrative Area.
Caretaker Information Minister Yohana Ngor said the death toll had risen to 153, with dozens more wounded receiving treatment at Ameth Bek Hospital. Medical teams, including staff from Doctors Without Borders (MSF), were assisting the injured.
The attack took place in Abyei, an oil-rich territory claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan and administered under special arrangements.
Who Carried Out the Strike?
Local officials and South Sudanese authorities have blamed the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for the attack, saying multiple munitions struck different parts of the market.
A senior Sudanese military officer acknowledged that the army carried out a strike but said it targeted fuel tankers believed to be supplying the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The officer claimed those killed were RSF members and fuel smugglers, rather than civilians. These claims have not been independently verified.
The RSF and Sudan’s military did not immediately issue public responses to the allegations, according to reports.
The attack comes as fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, continues to devastate Sudan and threaten neighbouring areas.
South Sudan Protests
South Sudan’s government summoned the Sudanese ambassador to protest the attack and called on Khartoum to prevent further incidents that endanger civilian lives and property.
The United Nations strongly condemned drone attacks near Amiet Market and Todach. It said dozens of civilians, including women and children, had been killed and many others injured, while the number of missing people remained unclear.
The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) deployed medical personnel, firefighting equipment and quick-reaction forces to assist with emergency treatment, evacuations and efforts to contain the fires.
The UN said attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law and called for accountability.
The latest attack has added to a wave of deadly strikes across Sudan and the disputed border region. Reports of attacks in recent days put the combined death toll above 250.
Abyei remains contested by Sudan and South Sudan, which became independent in 2011. Its unresolved status and strategic location near areas affected by Sudan’s civil war have contributed to continuing insecurity.
