A drone strike hit a busy market in the disputed Abyei region, causing a large fire and killing at least 153 people.
A drone strike on Monday at the Amiet Market in the disputed Abyei region killed at least 153 people, according to local officials. The attack, which occurred around midday, also caused a large fire when it hit a fuel depot, with some bodies burned beyond recognition. Around 8,000 people have been displaced by the bombing, local authorities reported.
South Sudanese officials and the caretaker information minister in Abyei, Yohana Akol Ngor, blamed Sudan's military for the attack. Ngor stated that the Sudanese army was responsible but provided no evidence. The UN mission in Abyei had previously warned that the presence of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in the region increased danger for residents and risked intensifying the territorial dispute between Sudan and South Sudan.
Residents, civil society groups, and local chiefs held protests on Tuesday to condemn the aerial attacks. They urged armed groups to respect Abyei Special Administrative Area as an arm-free zone and called on the international community, the African Union, IGAD, and the South Sudanese government to consider the plight of the Abyei people.
Why it mattersThe drone strike directly killed and displaced over 150 people in the Abyei market.
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