153 dead, 8,000 displaced after drone attack on Sudan-South Sudan border market in disputed Abyei region

153 dead, 8,000 displaced after drone attack on Sudan-South Sudan border market in disputed Abyei region

South Sudan blames Sudan’s military for the attack on Amiet Market, which left at least 153 people dead and displaced around 8,000 others amid escalating tensions in the disputed oil-rich region.

A drone strike on a busy market in the disputed Abyei region has killed at least 153 people and displaced about 8,000 others, according to local officials, as Sudan’s devastating civil war fuels tensions in the resource-rich territory.

South Sudanese officials have blamed Sudan’s military for Monday’s attack, although they have not provided evidence to support the accusation. The strike comes amid the long-running war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is reportedly active in the Abyei area.

In May, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) warned that the RSF’s presence in the region had exposed residents to additional danger and risked escalating the longstanding territorial dispute between Sudan and South Sudan, the world’s youngest sovereign state.

What do we know about the drone strike?

According to local authorities, the attack struck the busy Amiet Market at around midday on Monday.

Yohana Akol Ngor, Abyei’s caretaker information minister, told Reuters news agency on Tuesday that the death toll had more than doubled to at least 153, up from the 73 reported a day earlier.

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Akol Ngor blamed Sudan’s military for the attack but provided no evidence to support the allegation. He also said the bombing had displaced around 8,000 people.

South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry similarly accused the Sudanese army of carrying out the attack, saying the drone struck multiple locations around the market.

Witness accounts suggest that one of the sites hit was a fuel depot, triggering a massive fire that proved difficult to contain overnight and was still burning on Tuesday.

South Sudan said it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest the attack and urged Sudan to "refrain from any actions that endanger civilian lives and property."

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, said its staff were treating about 20 wounded people at the nearby Ameth Bek hospital.

"So far we have received over 20 patients, including several critical cases. Patients with burns were also admitted," said Dr Christian Lindauer, MSF's medical activities manager at the hospital.

What is the history of Sudan, South Sudan and Abyei?

The status of oil-rich Abyei remained unresolved under the 2005 peace agreement that broadly ended decades of civil war in Sudan.

The dispute was also left unsettled in 2011, when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.

A referendum was planned to determine the region’s future but never took place because of disagreements over who should be eligible to vote. Abyei has consequently remained in political limbo, with joint administration arrangements and an interim UN security force in place for 15 years.

The region’s majority Ngok Dinka population favours joining South Sudan, while Misseriya nomads, who use its pastures, favour remaining part of Sudan.

Amiet Market, where Monday’s attack occurred, serves as an important trading hub for both communities.

The volatile region has also experienced intercommunal violence in recent years, particularly between the Ngok Dinka and neighbouring Twic Dinka communities. It is also home to other armed militias.

How does the attack relate to Sudan’s war with the RSF?

The outbreak of fighting between Sudan’s armed forces and the RSF in April 2023 has further heightened tensions in the already fragile region.

The conflict has developed into a war with entrenched front lines, leaving Sudan effectively partitioned in practice as the rival forces fight for control of territory.

Abyei borders Sudan’s South Kordofan state, which has become a major battleground in the war.

Sudan’s military has alleged that the RSF is also operating from Abyei, an accusation echoed by UNISFA in a statement issued in May.

However, officials in Abyei and South Sudan dispute the claim.

Both the Sudanese military and the RSF have extensively deployed drones during the conflict, raising concerns about the impact of aerial attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.

"We remain alarmed by the relentless drone attacks across Sudan, as well as the damage they are causing to critical infrastructure — these attacks are taking a devastating toll on communities already struggling with the consequences of more than three years of conflict," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Tuesday when asked about the attack.