153 people were killed in a drone attack on a market in Abyei, South Sudan

The death toll from a drone attack on a market in the Abyei region in South Sudan has risen to 153 people, according to Reuters news agency.

The attack targeted the market in the disputed Naam area, hitting fuel points and trucks heading to Darfur.

In response, South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Sudanese ambassador in Juba to lodge an official protest, accusing the Sudanese army of carrying out the attack, without providing evidence to support this accusation.

Al-Naam is a major commercial center for the movement of goods and fuel to Kordofan and Darfur. The area falls within an area whose final status remains unresolved under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

John Akol Ngor, the designated Minister of Information in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan, accused the Sudanese army of carrying out the attack, without providing evidence to support this.

Akol Ngor told Reuters on Tuesday that the Sudanese Armed Forces used a number of drones in the attack that targeted the Ostrich Market, also known as Amit Market, north of the city of Abyei.

The Abyei region administration reported, in a statement, that the bombing completely destroyed the market infrastructure, which led to residents losing basic sources of livelihood and exacerbating the already deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the region.

The statement added that the attack prompted the survivors to flee towards the city of Abyei, which increased pressure on local emergency resources.

For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Sudan announced that it had summoned the Sudanese ambassador to Juba to inform him of the government’s protest and its deep concern about the attack and its repercussions on the security of civilians and the stability of the Abyei region.

There was no comment from the Sudanese government on the accusations against its army.

The ostrich market is an important commercial center through which goods and fuel pass to areas under the control of the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, which have been waging a war against the Sudanese army since April 2023, and control large parts of the west of the country, including West Kordofan state adjacent to the Abyei region.

Fadlallah Adam Hamouda, a trader in the Al-Naam market, spoke to the Asharq Al-Awsat Today program about the impact of the drone attack that targeted the market on the situation in the region, saying: “I am a trader in the Umayyad (Al-Naam) market, which is located within the area under the protection of the United Nations.”

He added, "The market was targeted by drones, causing catastrophic damage. The fuel market was completely destroyed due to the fire that spread to neighboring homes."

He stressed, "The situation is truly tragic, and I call on the United Nations to intervene, because this area is a special area subject to the protocols established for the Abyei Area. This area, densely populated with local residents and people displaced by the war in Sudan, was subjected to a sudden and unexpected attack."

He also spoke about the horrific consequences of the incident, saying that targeting the market with marches "caused widespread material damage. The attack on unarmed civilians resulted in a horrific massacre."

He pointed out that the ostrich market was subjected to a similar attack last Monday, when marches bombed the fuel market in an attack he described as “brutal.”

However, Hamouda confirmed that conditions had improved somewhat in the market targeted by the marches. But the targeting resulted in “the complete destruction of the market.”

Doctors Without Borders announced that it received more than 20 people injured as a result of the attack at Amith Beg Hospital, near the site of the bombing.

Christian Lindauer, the organization's director of medical activities at the hospital, said: "So far we have received more than 20 injured people, including critical cases, in addition to burn patients."

He explained that the medical teams provide the injured with surgical services and wound treatment, in addition to emergency medical care.