At least 153 killed in Abyei market drone strike as Sudan conflict spills across border

At least 153 people have been killed in a drone strike on a crowded market in Abyei, the territory disputed by Sudan and South Sudan, in one of the deadliest reported attacks in the region since Sudan's civil war began in April 2023.

The attack struck Amiet Market, north of Abyei town, on Monday, 19 October, igniting a major fire after explosions affected a nearby fuel depot.

Yohana Akol Ngor, the Abyei administration's caretaker information minister, told Reuters on Tuesday that the confirmed death toll had risen from an earlier figure of 73 to 153. He warned that further fatalities could be recorded as recovery operations continued.

South Sudanese officials blamed the Sudanese Armed Forces for the strike, prompting a diplomatic protest from Juba.

The attack comes amid intensifying fighting between Sudan's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with repeated drone strikes raising concerns about the safety of civilians and communities near the country's borders.

Explosions ignite deadly market fire

According to local authorities, the strike occurred around midday on Monday when explosions hit the market and a fuel storage area.

Witnesses described multiple blasts followed by rapidly spreading flames that engulfed parts of the trading centre.

One witness told Reuters that five explosions had occurred and that rescuers encountered people suffering from severe burns and shrapnel injuries.

The fire complicated efforts to recover bodies, evacuate casualties and assess the full extent of the destruction.

Amiet Market is an important commercial centre serving traders and communities on both sides of the Sudan–South Sudan border.

Its role as a trading hub has made it a significant source of goods and livelihoods for the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities, as well as people displaced by conflict.

Ngor estimated that approximately 8,000 people had been displaced following the attack, according to Reuters.

While local officials reported at least 153 deaths, a subsequent report by Sudans Post cited an even higher toll of 220.

Sudan's military accused as questions remain over intended target

South Sudan's government accused Sudan's armed forces of carrying out the attack.

The Associated Press reported that a senior Sudanese military officer acknowledged that the army had conducted the strike, saying it was directed at fuel tankers believed to be supplying the RSF.

The officer maintained that civilians had not been deliberately targeted. However, the reported deaths at the market have raised serious concerns about the attack's consequences for civilians.

Reuters separately reported that diplomatic and humanitarian sources identified a fuel depot at the market as the location of the strike. Some sources said the depot had previously been used to supply RSF forces.

Those accounts do not independently establish that the people killed were combatants or that the attack complied with international humanitarian law.

The Sudanese military had not issued a detailed public response to the civilian casualty allegations in the reporting reviewed.

South Sudan summons Sudanese ambassador

South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Sudan's ambassador to Juba following the attack, expressing strong concern about civilian casualties and the implications for security in the disputed territory.

The ministry said the drone strikes had affected several locations within the market, causing deaths, injuries and extensive property damage.

It called on Sudan to avoid actions that endanger civilian lives and urged both countries to address disputes concerning Abyei through diplomatic channels.

The incident has heightened concerns about Sudan's civil war spreading further into neighbouring areas, particularly where military operations overlap with longstanding territorial disputes.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, but Abyei's final political status remains unresolved.

The oil-rich region has been claimed by both countries since a 2005 peace agreement left its future subject to a proposed referendum that was never held.

The territory is home to the Ngok Dinka community and is also used by Misseriya pastoralists, whose seasonal movements have long been an important part of local economic and political relations.

Humanitarian teams treat survivors as UN condemns attack

Medical teams have been responding to casualties amid difficult conditions and continuing concerns about access to healthcare.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, said more than 20 injured people had been taken to Ameth Bek Hospital, where its teams were working alongside South Sudanese health personnel.

Some patients were critically injured, including people suffering from burns.

The United Nations condemned the drone attacks in Abyei and reiterated the obligation of all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) also deployed medical personnel, firefighting resources and emergency response teams to assist those affected.

An initial UN briefing referred to at least 28 civilians killed at Amiet Market and Todach, reflecting information available at an earlier stage of the emergency. Local authorities subsequently reported substantially higher casualties.

MSF urged all parties to stop attacks affecting civilians and essential services, warning that the violence could further restrict access to healthcare.

The humanitarian response is taking place while families attempt to locate missing relatives and communities assess the damage to their livelihoods.

Growing drone attacks deepen Sudan's humanitarian crisis

The Abyei attack forms part of a broader escalation in aerial warfare across Sudan.

On Sunday, 18 October, a drone strike near a market in al-Dibab, West Kordofan, reportedly killed 80 people, many of whom were travelling home.

Another attack in Nyala, South Darfur, killed 23 people and injured 44, according to local volunteers cited by Reuters.

Together with the reported fatalities in Abyei, these incidents have pushed the death toll from recent strikes above 250.

Sudan's civil war began in April 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF escalated into nationwide fighting.

The conflict has devastated civilian infrastructure, displaced millions of people and created severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies.

Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly warned that attacks on populated areas and the destruction of critical infrastructure are worsening the crisis.