Drone Strikes on Disputed Abyei Market Kill at Least 153 People
The attack marks one of the deadliest cross-border strikes since Sudan's civil war began in 2023, escalating tensions across the disputed border territory.
Multiple drone strikes struck Amiet Market north of Abyei town on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. The munitions hit fuel depots and tankers around 11:00 a.m. local time. The resulting blaze burned into Tuesday and destroyed multiple buildings and vehicles across the market.
Local authorities reported that the attack killed at least 153 people. Yohana Akol Ngor, the caretaker information minister for the Abyei Area Administration, initially reported 73 dead and 19 wounded. He later raised the death toll, warning that recoveries continued because some victims were burned to ashes.
Doctors Without Borders reported receiving more than 20 wounded patients at Ameth Bek Hospital. Several arrived in critical condition with severe burns. The strikes and the fire forced about 8,000 residents and traders to flee the area.
Ngor blamed the Sudanese Armed Forces for targeting the fuel trading hub in Ameth-Aguok County. South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Sudanese military struck multiple civilian sites. The ministry formally summoned Sudan’s ambassador in Juba to lodge a protest.
A senior Sudanese military officer admitted to carrying out a drone strike on Monday outside the demilitarized border zone. Speaking anonymously, the officer said the strike targeted fuel tankers arriving from South Sudan for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The officer stated the military targeted fuel smugglers and fighters, not civilians.
Three diplomats, an aid worker, and a conflict expert said the fuel depot had previously supplied the paramilitary group. Official spokespersons for the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces did not immediately issue public comments.
Dr. Christian Lindauer, medical activities manager for Doctors Without Borders at the hospital, urged all warring factions to stop attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure. United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric expressed alarm over deadly drone strikes across Sudan and its border regions that disrupt services and kill civilians.
The strike ranks among the deadliest cross-border air incidents since Sudan's civil war began in April 2023. Sudan and South Sudan both claim and jointly administer the oil-rich Abyei Area. The territory's legal status has remained unresolved since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
Sudan's army fights the Rapid Support Forces across the neighboring Kordofan region, which links Darfur to Khartoum. Amiet Market serves as a commercial center connecting South Sudan's Ngok Dinka community and Sudan's Misseriya Arab community. The market also serves displaced civilians fleeing fighting.
Rescue workers in Abyei continue to sift through the charred ruins to locate unrecovered bodies. South Sudan demanded that Sudan resolve border security matters through diplomatic frameworks rather than unilateral airstrikes. Bilateral friction is expected to mount before South Sudan’s planned December 2026 elections, where Juba plans to include Abyei voters despite objections from Khartoum.
