Conflicting reports put Sudan drone-strike death toll above 150 in Abyei

A drone strike on a busy market in the disputed Abyei region has killed at least 153 people, according to local officials cited by DW, in one of the conflict’s most severe reported attacks. South Sudanese authorities blamed Sudan’s military, but did not provide evidence publicly linking the army to the strike. The attack hit Amiet Market at about midday on Monday, according to Abyei caretaker information minister Yohana Akol Ngor.

He told Reuters that the reported death toll had more than doubled from an earlier figure of 73. About 8,000 people were also displaced, he said. South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said the drone struck several locations around the market.

Witness accounts indicated that a fuel depot was among those hit, causing a fire that remained difficult to contain overnight and was still burning on Tuesday. South Sudan said it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador and urged Sudan to avoid actions that endangered civilians and property. Doctors Without Borders said its staff were treating about 20 wounded people at nearby Ameth Bek hospital.

Dr Christian Lindauer, the organisation’s medical activities manager, said the hospital had received more than 20 patients, including several in critical condition, as well as people suffering burns. The reports contain a significant geographic and casualty distinction. The Guardian separately reported that a drone attack near a market and transport hub in al-Dibab, in West Kordofan, killed 80 people on Sunday evening.

That account was based on a witness and an anonymous medical source, and concerned a different location from the Amiet Market strike reported by DW. The Abyei attack comes amid Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023. Both sides have used drones extensively.

Sudan’s military has alleged that RSF forces operate from Abyei, while Abyei and South Sudanese officials dispute that claim; a UN mission also warned in May that an RSF presence could endanger residents. Abyei’s status has remained unresolved since Sudan’s 2005 peace agreement and South Sudan’s 2011 independence. A referendum was never held because of disagreement over who could vote.

The region is administered jointly with an interim UN security force, while the Ngok Dinka generally favour South Sudan and Misseriya nomads use its grazing areas and favour Sudan. The differing accounts cannot independently establish responsibility for either strike.