Death toll in Abyei market drone attack rises to 73 after earlier reports of injuries
At least 73 people have been reported killed and 19 others injured in a drone attack on Amiet Market in the disputed Abyei Administrative Area, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise as recovery efforts continue.
Abyei’s Caretaker Minister of Information and government spokesperson, Yohana Akol Ngor, says several drones fired approximately seven shells at the market at around 11 a.m. on Monday.
The attack damaged shops at the busy trading centre, located about 10 kilometres north of Abyei town.
Ngor says the injured include South Sudanese citizens and Sudanese nationals displaced by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, with the majority reportedly being South Sudanese.
“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.”
Ngor says authorities are struggling to establish the final death toll because fires continue to burn at the market, complicating the recovery and counting of bodies.
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 war across the border.
The attack comes amid the ongoing conflict between the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has caused widespread displacement and civilian casualties in Sudan.
Abyei is a disputed territory claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan and is home to the Ngok Dinka community.
Under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the area was supposed to hold a referendum to determine whether it would join South Sudan or remain part of Sudan. However, disagreements over voter eligibility, particularly the participation of Sudan’s Misseriya pastoralist community, have prevented the referendum from taking place.
