Drone strikes on a market in the disputed Abyei region have killed at least 153 people, according to South Sudanese officials, in an attack they attributed to Sudan’s military. The death toll is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue at the scene.
Yohana Akol Ngor, caretaker information minister in Abyei, said the strike on Monday had initially been reported to have killed 73 people. He said some victims had been burned beyond recognition.
“The fire is still burning. So the recovery process of the dead ones is still continuing. The situation is terrible,” Mr Ngor said.
Footage filmed at the market on Tuesday showed charred vehicles and damaged buildings, with flames still rising from one structure as residents examined the destruction.
Mr Ngor said the Sudanese Armed Forces were responsible, but provided no evidence. A spokesperson for the army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Three diplomatic sources, an aid worker and a conflict expert said the strike hit a fuel depot in the market. The depot had previously been used by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to supply its fighters, the diplomatic sources said.
The RSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Officials in Sudan’s military-led government have said the group is active in parts of Abyei, while Mr Ngor denied that it had a presence in the area.
The latest deaths bring the number killed in attacks in recent days to more than 250, highlighting the growing impact of drone warfare in Sudan’s conflict. The war began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, drawing in local militias and foreign powers and creating a major humanitarian crisis.
Abyei has been claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan since South Sudan became independent in 2011. The oil-rich region is jointly administered and borders Sudan’s Kordofan region, which has become a major centre of fighting.
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei warned in May that an increased RSF presence had worsened insecurity, while delays in deciding the region’s final status had put civilians and UN personnel at risk.
The Sudanese army and the RSF have recently intensified drone attacks. Strikes this week have targeted the RSF-held city of Nyala and an airport in the army-controlled capital, Khartoum.
