Abyei market drone strike leaves over 150 dead after fuel depot ignites

At least 153 people have died after an aerial drone strike struck a busy commercial area and ignited a fuel depot in the contested Abyei border region between Sudan and South Sudan, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The strike occurred around late morning on Monday at Amiet Market, situated north of the town of Abyei. According to regional officials, the bombardment hit multiple locations across the marketplace, including a fuel storage facility that supplies neighborhood traders and businesses. The explosion triggered an intense blaze that continued to burn into the following day, compounding the devastation.

Yohanna Akol Ngor, the caretaker information minister for the local Abyei administration, attributed the operation to the Sudanese Armed Forces. Speaking to reporters, Akol confirmed that officials had counted at least 153 dead and warned that the number of victims was continuing to climb while emergency efforts proceeded. Dozens more people were injured in the strike and subsequent inferno.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, reported treating severe casualties at nearby Ameth Bek Hospital, collaborating with personnel from the South Sudanese Ministry of Health. Dr. Christian Lindauer, the organization's medical activities manager at the facility, said teams had admitted more than 20 wounded individuals, several of whom were in critical condition or suffering from severe burn injuries. MSF issued an appeal to all warring factions to cease assaults on civilians and critical public infrastructure.

The Sudanese military did not immediately issue a public response or respond to questions regarding the incident, and independent verification of responsibility has not yet been established.

South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the incident, also laying the blame on Sudan's armed forces. The ministry stated that the strikes caused widespread destruction of property alongside the heavy civilian death toll. South Sudanese officials summoned Sudan's ambassador to deliver a formal protest, demanding that the military halt operations that endanger civilian life and urging both governments to address disputes through bilateral diplomacy.

The Abyei territory remains an oil-rich border pocket claimed by both Khartoum and Juba. Its definitive status was left pending under the 2005 peace accord that paved the way for South Sudan’s full independence in 2011, as disputes over voter eligibility halted a planned plebiscite. While the resident Ngok Dinka community largely supports integration with South Sudan, nomadic Misseriya pastoralists lean toward Sudan. Amiet Market typically functions as an essential shared trading center between these populations, though the region has repeatedly suffered bouts of local conflict alongside the broader civil war that has engulfed Sudan since fighting erupted between the military and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.