More than 150 people have been killed in a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, in one of the deadliest attacks of Sudan's devastating war. The death toll from Monday morning's strike on Amiet Market jumped from 73 to 153 on Tuesday, Yohana Akol Ngor, the Abyei administration's caretaker information minister, told Reuters.
Ngor blamed Sudan's military for the attack but provided no evidence. The strike hit the section of the market where fuel was sold, igniting a fire that was still burning on Tuesday and driving the toll higher as burn victims succumbed. Three diplomatic sources, an aid worker and a conflict expert told Reuters the strike hit a fuel depot that had previously been used by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to supply its fighters. A spokesperson for Sudan's armed forces did not respond to requests for comment.
South Sudan's Foreign Ministry also blamed Sudan's military, summoned Sudan's ambassador to protest, and urged Khartoum to "refrain from any actions that endanger civilian lives and property." Doctors Without Borders said more than 20 wounded were brought to Ameth Bek Hospital, including critical and burn cases, the AP reported.
The Abyei strike came a day after drone attacks in South Kordofan killed some 150 people, including mourners at a funeral, according to the Sudan War Monitoring Group as reported by the BBC — meaning more than 300 people may have died in drone strikes in three days. The oil-rich Abyei region, disputed since South Sudan's 2011 independence, has become a flashpoint as Sudan's war between the army and the RSF spills across borders.