Deadly Drone Strikes Kill Hundreds in Sudan/Abyei, Targeting Mourners and Markets

Recent drone strikes across Sudan and the disputed Abyei region have resulted in a significant loss of civilian lives. In one of the deadliest incidents, an attack on Amiet Common Market in Abyei on Monday, October 19, killed at least 153 people and injured many more, with the death toll feared to rise as fires continued to burn. Local officials in Abyei and South Sudan have accused the Sudanese military of carrying out the strike, which reportedly targeted a fuel depot.

This Abyei market attack is part of a wider wave of drone strikes across Sudan, which have claimed over 160 lives since Friday. One particularly devastating strike on Sunday evening in Al-Dibab, West Kordofan, hit a transport hub where villagers gathered after market day, killing 80 people. Separate reports indicate a truck carrying approximately 200 mourners was struck in Al-Dabab, resulting in 145 fatalities, alongside another five killed at a funeral tent, pushing the Sunday toll in West Kordofan to 150.

These escalating drone attacks are occurring amidst the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023. The United Nations has condemned these deadly strikes, expressing alarm over the civilian casualties, which also include children.