The smoke was still rising on Tuesday when the rescuers pulled the last bodies from the rubble. What used to be Amiet Market, a busy trading hub on the outskirts of Abyei town, looked like a blackened scrapyard. Twisted metal, burnt-out stalls, a petrol tanker reduced to a skeleton. And everywhere, the dead.
A drone strike on Monday on this market in Abyei, the disputed border region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, has killed at least 153 people, local officials said. The toll is expected to rise as rescue teams keep finding victims burned beyond recognition in the debris.
It is one of the deadliest single strikes of Sudan’s brutal war, and a grim reminder that a conflict now well into its fourth year keeps finding new ways to reach civilians.
What happened at Amiet Market
According to the Abyei administration’s caretaker information minister, Yohanna Akol Ngor, the strike hit around 11 in the morning. The drones targeted a fuel depot inside the market that supplied local businesses, and the explosion set off a fire that was still burning the next day.
Witnesses described a terrifying scene. One survivor told AFP that a swarm of drones hovered over the market before the bombs fell. “Some of the business places are still on fire and there were people burned beyond recognition inside,” the witness said by phone, asking not to be named for security reasons.
The numbers are staggering. Ngor told The Associated Press that the toll rose from 73 to 153 as the fire spread and more bodies were recovered. BBC Verify confirmed satellite images showing extensive burnt buildings in the market’s north-eastern corner, and a trader told the BBC the market was “completely destroyed”.
Who carried out the strike
The Abyei administration and South Sudan’s foreign ministry both blamed Sudan’s military for the attack. Juba went further, summoning Sudan’s ambassador to protest and demanding that Khartoum “refrain from any actions that endanger civilian lives and property”, urging that disputes over Abyei be handled through diplomatic channels.
A senior Sudanese military officer, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the press, said the army targeted fuel tankers arriving from South Sudan and bound for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). “We do not target civilians,” he said, but the AP noted it could not independently verify his account.
A war that keeps spilling over
Sudan has been in the grip of a savage war between the regular army and the RSF since April 2023. The fighting has devastated cities, displaced millions, and pushed the country toward one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Abyei sits right in the middle of a separate, older fault line. The district is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, which split from its northern neighbour in 2011 after decades of conflict. Parts of it are controlled by a faction of the SPLM-North, a splinter from the movement that fought for the South’s independence.
Here is what the fallout looks like so far:
- 153 confirmed dead, with the toll likely to rise as bodies are still being recovered from the ashes.
- More than 20 wounded were taken to Ameth Bek Hospital, where Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams are working alongside South Sudan’s Health Ministry staff.
- Victims include Sudanese, South Sudanese, Ethiopians and Somalis, according to the Abyei administration, underlining the market’s role as a regional trading hub.
- 19 more hospitalised, with more on the way, and several critical burn cases.
“So far we received over 20 patients, including several critical cases. Patients with burns were also admitted,” said Dr Christian Lindauer, MSF’s medical activities manager at the hospital.
Questions the strike raises
Beyond the immediate horror, the attack raises hard questions: can a fuel depot inside a crowded civilian market be treated as a legitimate military target, and how many bodies are still unaccounted for in the ashes?
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed in the Abyei market drone strike?
At least 153 people were killed, according to the Abyei administration’s caretaker information minister. He warned the number may increase as rescuers are still recovering bodies from the fire-ravaged market.
Who is blamed for the drone strike?
Local officials and South Sudan’s foreign ministry blame Sudan’s military. A senior Sudanese officer said the army targeted fuel tankers bound for the RSF, a claim that could not be independently verified.
Where is Abyei?
Abyei is a disputed border district claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan. Amiet Market lies about 10 km north of Abyei town, close to the demilitarised zone along the border.
How long has the Sudan war been going on?
The war between Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023, and has since created one of the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crises.
The death toll at Amiet Market is a number. Behind it are 153 stories of people who went to buy, sell and work on a Monday morning and never came home. As the smoke clears over Abyei, the world is once again being asked to look at a war it has looked away from for far too long.
