South Sudan’s government said it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest a drone attack on Amiet Common Market in the disputed Abyei region that killed at least 73 people and wounded 19.
The attack, which local officials blamed on the Sudanese Armed Forces, struck the market at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday, hitting its central and southern sections and the northern gate.
“The Government of the Republic of South Sudan condemns in the strongest terms possible the attack on Amiet Market,” the foreign ministry said in a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj.
The ministry said Sudan’s ambassador to Juba had been summoned to convey the government’s strong protest and concern over the attack and its implications for civilian security and stability in Abyei.
Ambassador Lt. Gen. Isam Mohamed Hassan Karrar is Sudan’s ambassador to South Sudan.
The foreign ministry urged Sudan to refrain from actions that endanger civilian lives and property and called for issues concerning Abyei to be addressed through diplomatic channels and existing mechanisms for dialogue.
Abyei Information Minister Yohana Akol Ngor said the victims included Sudanese and South Sudanese civilians.
Bulabek Deng Kuol, paramount chief of the Ngok Dinka community, said about 12 drone strikes had hit the market.
The foreign ministry urged Sudan to take measures to prevent similar incidents, reaffirming its commitment to protecting civilians and resolving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.
Amiet Common Market, located about 10 km north of Abyei town in Ameth-Aguok County, is a major trading hub serving the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities, as well as people displaced by the war in Sudan.
Abyei, an oil-producing region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, has remained a source of tension since South Sudan gained independence in 2011. A referendum intended to determine its future was never held because the two countries failed to agree on voter eligibility and other outstanding issues.
Interim administrative and security arrangements were established in 2011, but the region’s final status remains unresolved.
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