Drone strike on a market in disputed African region of Abyei kills at least 153

A drone strike on a market in Abyei, a border region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan, hit a nearby fuel depot, killing at least 153 people and igniting a fire that was still burning Tuesday, a local official said.

Yohanna Akol Ngor, the Abyei administration’s caretaker information minister, blamed Sudan’s military for Monday’s attack on Amiet Market, north of Abyei town.

“We have recorded 153 deaths,” Ngor told the Associated Press by phone Tuesday. He said the death toll continued to rise as the fire burned.

A senior Sudanese military officer said the army carried out a drone strike Monday targeting fuel tankers arriving from South Sudan that he said were bound for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) . He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The officer said those killed were RSF members and people involved in fuel smuggling. “We do not target civilians,” he said. The AP could not independently verify his account of the targets or the identities of those killed.

The officer said the strike took place outside the demilitarized zone along the border with South Sudan.

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French abbreviation MSF, said more than 20 wounded people were brought to Ameth Bek Hospital, where MSF teams were working alongside staff from South Sudan’s Health Ministry.

“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.

Faiz Abubakr/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

‘You cannot hide from a drone strike’: The terror falling from the sky in Sudan

South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry also blamed Sudan’s military, saying the attack hit multiple locations within the market, causing civilian casualties and extensive property damage.

The ministry said it summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest and urged Sudan to “refrain from any actions that endanger civilian lives and property.” It called for issues concerning Abyei to be addressed through diplomatic channels.

Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023, devastating large parts of the country and threatening stability along its borders.

Ngor said the strike hit around 11 a.m. Monday. He said the fuel depot supplied local businesses.

“It is a horrible and shocking situation,” he said.

MSF called on all parties to stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, expressing concern about people’s ability to safely reach healthcare and other essential services.

Amiet Market is a trading hub serving the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities.

The oil-rich Abyei region’s status was left unresolved by a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war, and it remained unsettled when South Sudan became independent in 2011. A proposed referendum stalled over disagreements about who could vote.

The region’s majority Ngok Dinka population favors joining South Sudan, while Misseriya nomads who use its pastures favor Sudan. Abyei has also experienced deadly communal violence, including fighting over land between Ngok Dinka and neighboring Twic Dinka communities.

一名当地官员称，在苏丹和南苏丹存在争议的边境地区阿卜耶伊，一架无人机袭击了一个市场，击中了附近的一个燃料库，造成至少 153 人死亡，并引发了一场大火，这场大火周二仍在燃烧。

阿卜耶伊政府代理新闻部长约哈娜·阿科尔·恩戈尔指责苏丹军方发动了周一发生在阿卜耶伊镇北部阿米特市场的袭击。

“我们已记录到153人死亡，”恩戈尔周二通过电话告诉美联社。他说，随着火势蔓延，死亡人数仍在上升。

一名苏丹高级军官表示，军方周一发动无人机袭击，目标是从南苏丹抵达的油罐车，这些油罐车据称是运往准军事部队快速支援部队（RSF）的。由于未获授权接受媒体采访，他要求匿名。

该官员称，死者是快速支援部队成员和参与燃油走私的人员。“我们不会以平民为目标，”他说。美联社无法独立核实他关于目标或死者身份的说法。

该官员表示，袭击发生在非军事区外，靠近南苏丹边境。

无国界医生组织（法语缩写为 MSF）表示，20 多名伤者被送往阿梅特贝克医院，无国界医生团队正在与南苏丹卫生部的医务人员一起进行救治。

“到目前为止，我们收治了20多名患者，其中包括几名危重病人。我们也收治了烧伤患者，”无国界医生组织在该医院的医疗活动经理克里斯蒂安·林道尔医生说。

Faiz Abubakr/洛杉矶时报/Getty Images

“你躲不开无人机袭击”：苏丹的空中恐怖袭击

南苏丹外交部也指责苏丹军方，称袭击发生在市场内的多个地点，造成平民伤亡和广泛的财产损失。

该部表示已召见苏丹大使提出抗议，并敦促苏丹“避免采取任何危及平民生命和财产安全的行动”。该部呼吁通过外交渠道解决有关阿卜耶伊的问题。

自 2023 年 4 月以来，苏丹军队和准军事快速支援部队一直在交战，摧毁了该国大片地区，并威胁到其边境地区的稳定。

恩戈尔表示，罢工发生在周一上午11点左右。他说，该燃料库为当地企业供货。

“这真是可怕又令人震惊的情况，”他说。

无国界医生呼吁各方停止对平民和民用基础设施的袭击，并对人们能否安全获得医疗保健和其他基本服务表示担忧。

阿米特市场是一个服务于恩戈克丁卡族和米塞里亚族社区的贸易中心。

2005 年结束数十年内战的和平协议并未解决石油资源丰富的阿卜耶伊地区的地位问题，南苏丹于 2011 年独立后，该地区的地位问题依然悬而未决。一项拟议的全民公投因投票权问题上的分歧而停滞不前。

该地区的主体民族恩戈克丁卡人倾向于加入南苏丹，而利用该地区牧场的米塞里亚游牧民族则倾向于加入苏丹。阿卜耶伊也曾发生过致命的部族冲突，包括恩戈克丁卡人和邻近的特维克丁卡人之间因土地而起的争斗。