ABYEI -A drone attributed to the Sudanese army struck Amiet Market in the disputed Abyei Area on Monday morning, hitting the market’s northern section, according to witnesses and local authorities.
Yohana Akol Ngor, caretaker information minister and spokesperson for the Abyei administration, said authorities were investigating the incident to establish the circumstances and determine the number of people killed or injured.
Akol urged residents to remain indoors while the administration monitored the situation. No casualty figures or details of damage were immediately available.
Amiet Market, located in Ameth-Aguok County, serves the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities and is a major trading centre in the area.
The strike comes amid renewed political tensions over Abyei, which is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan. South Sudan plans to include the area in its December 2026 elections, a move opposed by Sudan as the territory’s final status remains unresolved.
On Saturday, Al-Khair Abdullah Idris Abu Muridat, Sudan’s newly appointed head of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee, reaffirmed Khartoum’s claim to the territory and called for a peaceful resolution under agreements signed by Sudan and South Sudan in 2011.
Abyei’s final status has remained unresolved since South Sudan gained independence in 2011. A referendum intended to determine whether the territory would join Sudan or South Sudan has not been held, partly because the two countries disagree over voter eligibility.
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), established in 2011, monitors security under interim arrangements intended to keep the area demilitarised.
The incident follows deadly clashes at Amiet Market on September 15. UNISFA reported that the violence killed 26 people and injured 82, prompting the mission to reinforce security around the market.