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.
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