KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudan’s government has denied that its armed forces carried out a drone strike on Amiet Market in the disputed Abyei Area that local authorities say killed 220 people.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation rejected allegations that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) were responsible for the October 19 attack.
“The Government of the Republic of the Sudan categorically denies claims alleging that the Sudanese Armed Forces are responsible for the killing of innocent civilians in a drone strike on Al-Naam Market in the Abyei area,” the ministry said.
It described the accusations as “baseless and have no factual foundation” and expressed regret over the deaths, offering condolences to the victims’ families and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
The denial contrasts with reports by the BBC and Associated Press (AP), which quoted a Sudanese military officer as saying the army carried out the strike but targeted fuel tankers allegedly supplying the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The officer told AP that those killed were RSF members and fuel smugglers, while insisting that the military had not targeted civilians. The claims about the intended target and the identities of those killed have not been independently verified.
Abyei authorities have reported 220 deaths and 19 injuries from the attack, which struck the market’s fuel-selling section and triggered fires that damaged shops.
South Sudan’s government condemned the attack and summoned Sudanese Ambassador Isam Mohamed Hassan Karar on October 19 to convey its protest.
President Salva Kiir’s office also called for an investigation and measures to prevent further attacks. “Civilian lives must be protected, and Abyei must not become a theatre for the conflict in Sudan,” the presidency said in a statement on October 21.
In its statement, Sudan’s foreign ministry cited previous attacks it attributed to the RSF, including a December 2025 attack on a United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) base in Kadugli that killed Bangladeshi peacekeepers, as well as attacks on humanitarian aid convoys. However, it did not identify who it believed was responsible for the Amiet Market strike.
Abyei remains disputed between Sudan and South Sudan, with its final status unresolved since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.