ABYEI – The death toll from Monday’s drone attack on Amiet Market in the disputed Abyei Area has reached 220, with 19 people injured, according to local authorities.
South Sudan has summoned Sudanese Ambassador Isam Mohamed Hassan Karar to protest the attack carried out by the Sudanese army, which the Abyei administration attributed to a drone strike.
Agnes Adlino Orifa Oswaha, undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, summoned Karar on Monday to convey the government’s strong protest, the ministry said in a statement.
Yohana Akol Ngor, information minister for the Abyei Administrative Area, said on Tuesday that recovery efforts were continuing, and the death toll could rise as more bodies were recovered.
“Many lives have been lost in Amiet Market and the number of people burned is still increasing because the fire is still burning in the market,” Ngor said.
The Abyei administration called on the governments of Sudan and South Sudan, as well as the international community, to investigate the incident and the civilian deaths.
Authorities have yet to assess the full extent of the damage to shops and other property.
Amiet Market, located in Ameth-Aguok County, is a trading centre serving the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities, as well as people displaced by the war in Sudan.
Abyei is disputed between Sudan and South Sudan. Its final status has remained unresolved since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.