Drone strike kills 153 civilians at Abyei market
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kassataya
A drone strike on Amiet market in the disputed Abyei region killed 153 civilians, mainly Sudanese, according to local authorities. Fuel depots were set alight and identifying the bodies remains difficult, reports Le Monde, citing witnesses and the Abyei administration.
A drone strike killed 153 civilians on Monday 19 October at Amiet market, in the disputed Abyei region, according to local authorities cited by Le Monde. The victims were mostly Sudanese, with three Somalis among the dead and an undetermined number of South Sudanese. The market’s fuel depots were set on fire during the attack.
A Somali trader present at the scene, Mohamed Abdullah, said he counted 12 bombs, dropped about 10 minutes apart. The bodies, which were burned, are difficult to identify, according to Justice Charles Abyei Jok, Abyei’s chief administrator. Amiet market, opened in 2016 for trade between the Messiria and Ngok Dinka communities and between Sudan and South Sudan, is secured by the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (Unisfa).
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strike on 20 October and recalled that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law. South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry had condemned the attack the previous day and summoned the Sudanese ambassador in Juba. Juba’s condemnation was reported in the South Sudanese protest, after the market reopened under UN protection in September between the Ngok Dinka and Messiria communities.
