At least 73 people have been killed and 19 others injured in a drone attack on Amiet Market in the Abyei Special Administrative Area, according to local authorities.
Abyei’s caretaker Minister of Information and government spokesperson, Yohana Akol Ngor, said several drones fired approximately seven shells at the market at around 11 a.m. on Monday.
The attack damaged several shops at the busy trading centre, located about 10 kilometres north of Abyei town.
“So far, we have recorded approximately 73 cases, with 19 injuries reported. The number of casualties continues to rise. Bodies are still being recovered, and we have sent body bags to accommodate all the bodies. However, counting the bodies remains difficult, as the fire is still burning. We have also dispatched fire engines to the scene,” he told Eye Radio.
Ngor said recovery efforts were continuing, but fires at the market were making it difficult to establish the final death toll.
The Abyei administration suspects the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) were responsible for the attack, although this has not been independently verified.
Amiet Market serves communities from both South Sudan and Sudan, including people displaced by the conflict across the border.
The attack comes amid the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has caused widespread displacement and civilian casualties.
Abyei, home to the Ngok Dinka community, is claimed by both South Sudan and Sudan.
Under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Abyei was supposed to hold a referendum to determine whether it would join South Sudan or remain part of Sudan.
However, the two countries have disagreed over voter eligibility, particularly whether the Misseriya, a Sudanese pastoralist community that moves its cattle into Abyei during the dry season, should be allowed to vote .
The post 73 killed, 19 injured in Sudanese drone attack on Abyei market first appeared on Eye Radio.