Sudan Drone Strike Kills 153 at Abyei Market as War Spills Across Border.

Sudan Drone Strike Kills 153 at Abyei Market as War Spills Across Border

The attack on a busy market in the disputed Abyei region ignited a fuel depot and left hundreds of families facing death, injury and displacement. Sudan’s military says it targeted fuel supplies linked to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, while South Sudan has protested the strike and the United Nations has called for accountability._

At least 153 people have been killed in a drone strike on Amiet Market in Abyei, a disputed territory between Sudan and South Sudan, after explosions ignited a fire that engulfed parts of the trading centre. The attack on Monday, October 19, has become one of the deadliest reported incidents in Sudan’s escalating civil war, with local authorities warning that the death toll could rise as emergency workers continue searching for victims.

Yohanna Akol Ngor, the caretaker information minister for the Abyei administration, gave the revised death toll on Tuesday. The figure had risen from an earlier count of 73. The United Nations said many people remained missing and that its peacekeeping mission in Abyei was continuing to verify casualties.

Amiet Market serves communities on both sides of the Sudan–South Sudan border, providing a place to buy everyday goods, including flour, sugar and other food supplies. The strike hit a fuel depot within the market area, triggering fires that complicated rescue operations and the recovery of bodies. An eyewitness recounted that five large explosions preceded the blaze and that they had not seen uniformed fighters in the market.

South Sudanese officials blamed Sudan’s armed forces for the attack. The country’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, summoned Sudan’s ambassador and called on Khartoum to prevent further actions endangering civilian lives and property.

Sudan’s military did not immediately issue a public response to the allegations. However, a senior Sudanese military officer told reporters that the army had targeted fuel tankers arriving from South Sudan that were allegedly destined for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese army. The officer claimed those killed were RSF members and people involved in fuel smuggling, and said the military did not target civilians. The identities of those killed and the military’s account of the intended target have not been independently verified.

The United Nations condemned drone attacks near Amiet Market and Todach, saying civilians, including women and children, had been killed and many others injured. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Sudan and South Sudan to help prevent further attacks and uphold Abyei’s demilitarised status. The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei deployed medical personnel, firefighting capabilities and emergency teams to assist with treatment, evacuations and efforts to contain the fire.

Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said it was treating more than 20 wounded people at Ameth Bek Hospital. Some patients had severe burns, and several were in critical condition. The medical organisation called for civilians and civilian infrastructure to be protected as drone attacks continue across Sudan.

The strike has also displaced thousands of people. Abyei’s caretaker information minister estimated that about 8,000 people had been forced from their homes following the attack. The destruction of the market threatens livelihoods and access to essential goods in a region where communities already face insecurity and limited public services.

Abyei’s position makes the incident particularly sensitive. The oil-rich territory is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, which became independent in 2011. Its final status remains unresolved, despite earlier agreements intended to settle disputes following Sudan’s civil wars. The area has also become strategically important to the current conflict, with diplomats and analysts identifying it as a route for fuel supplies reaching RSF forces.

The wider war began in April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The conflict has devastated cities, disrupted food production and trade, and displaced millions of people. The increasing use of drones has extended the reach of attacks, placing markets, residential areas and essential infrastructure at risk.

The Abyei strike comes amid other deadly attacks in Sudan. A drone strike near a market in West Kordofan on Sunday reportedly killed around 80 people, according to accounts gathered by the Guardian. Further strikes have been reported in other areas, bringing the reported death toll from recent attacks above 250. These figures come from separate incidents and sources and have not all been independently verified.

For South Sudan, the attack creates an additional security and diplomatic challenge along a border already affected by unresolved territorial disputes and the consequences of Sudan’s war. For humanitarian organisations, the immediate task is to treat survivors, establish the full number of casualties and help displaced families obtain food, shelter and medical care.

The United Nations has warned that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law and that accountability will be necessary. Yet the competing accounts of the Amiet Market strike underline the difficulty of establishing responsibility during an intensifying conflict.

The death toll of at least 153 is already devastating. Whether the attack leads to meaningful diplomatic pressure or further escalation remains uncertain, but its consequences are clear: another commercial centre has been devastated, families have been displaced, and civilians living near Sudan’s borders are paying a growing price for a war that shows little sign of ending.