ABYEI, South Sudan/Sudan — More than 220 people were killed in a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region, which is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, Abyei’s caretaker Information Minister Yohana Akol told local broadcaster Eye Radio.
The death toll rose sharply from an earlier estimate of 153 reported on Tuesday. Akol told The Associated Press earlier that day that at least 153 people had been killed. The victims were buried in two mass graves, according to Eye Radio.
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The strike occurred on Monday at Amiet market, hitting a fuel depot and triggering a fire that was still burning on Tuesday, local officials said. The attack is among the deadliest reported incidents linked to Sudan’s war, which has devastated the country and heightened concerns about the conflict spilling across its borders.
Akol blamed Sudan’s military for the attack, but the armed forces did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said more than 20 wounded people had been brought to Ameth Bek Hospital, where its medical teams were working alongside South Sudan’s Health Ministry staff. The patients included several critical cases and people suffering from burns, the organisation said.
Sources told Radio Tamazuj that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had used the market to purchase fuel for their troops and that the section where fuel was sold had been targeted. The claims could not be independently verified.
Amiet market serves traders from the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities, as well as people displaced by the war in Sudan. Most of those killed were civilian traders, Radio Tamazuj reported.
The Misseriya, an Arab pastoralist community, have been a significant source of RSF fighters, according to Sudan Tribune. The presence of competing interests around the market has raised further concerns about the risks faced by civilians in the disputed territory.
South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador in Juba to convey its “strong protest” over the attack. It urged Sudan to “refrain from actions that endanger civilian lives and property” and called for disputes concerning Abyei to be addressed through diplomatic channels.
Abyei is a resource-rich territory claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan. Although South Sudan gained independence in 2011, the region’s final status remains unresolved, and the two countries continue to dispute sovereignty over the area.
The territory borders Sudan’s Kordofan region, a major centre of fighting in the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, which began in April 2023. The conflict has killed large numbers of people, displaced millions and triggered a severe humanitarian crisis.
The reported death toll from the Abyei strike underscores the growing threat to civilians as drone attacks and fighting continue to affect communities near Sudan’s borders.
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