A drone strike on Amiet market in Abyei, a territory contested by Sudan and South Sudan, has killed more than 150 people, according to Reuters and UN peacekeepers. The attack flattened shops and stalls in a market where displaced people and traders earn a living, and it has become one of the deadliest single incidents in Sudan’s wider conflict in recent weeks.

What happened at Amiet

A senior Sudanese military officer told the Associated Press that the army carried out the strike on Monday morning, targeting fuel tankers arriving from South Sudan that he said were intended for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. That claim has not been verified. The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, UNISFA, later said at least 80 people were killed, with 27 injured treated by UN personnel, while other people were still missing and casualty verification continued. The difference between the figures reflects different stages of counting, not a settled final toll.

Why Abyei was targeted

Reuters reported, citing five diplomats and analysts, that the market was an established part of a fuel network serving the RSF. A large volume of fuel imported into South Sudan is transported through Abyei, where it is collected by RSF networks and moved through Sudan in smaller shipments, the sources said. One diplomat said the attack targeted fuel storage facilities and a truck suspected of carrying fuel.

UN response and wider risk

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attacks and said attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure were prohibited under international law, reminding all parties to respect and protect civilians at all times. UNISFA doubled patrols and evacuated casualties. The strike illustrates how Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, is now pulling neighbouring areas and supply routes into its violence.