Sudan army strike reportedly kills 53 at market in disputed Abyei region

A drone attack that reportedly targeted Sudan’s military killed 53 people at a market in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan, local officials said Tuesday.

The latest strike hit Amiet market on Monday, wounding at least 27, according to authorities in the district of Abyei. They said that the army had dropped 22 munitions during the attack, AFP reported.

“These casualties are among the vulnerable population, such as women, children, elderly, local merchants, Ngok Dinka host community members, South Sudanese returnees and Sudanese refugees who had taken refuge from the wider regional conflict,” authorities said.

The Foreign Ministry in South Sudan responded to the strike and summoned Sudan’s ambassador in protest, saying the military had hit multiple sites within the market.

The assault occurred during a surge of lethal drone strikes throughout Sudan, where clashes have persisted since April 2023 between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

Abyei, another disputed oil-producing area, could still cause conflict after South Sudan’s independence in 2011.

The conflict has been a trigger of a serious humanitarian disaster, killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions.