South Sudan summoned Sudan’s ambassador over an Oct. 19 drone attack on Amiet Market in Abyei, where officials have reported heavy civilian losses amid a long unresolved territorial dispute.
South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry accused Sudan’s military of carrying out the attack and called for disputes over Abyei to be resolved through diplomacy. Abyei caretaker information minister Yohana Akol Ngor made the same accusation. Reuters reported that Ngor provided no evidence and that a military spokesperson did not immediately respond to its request for comment.
Ngor told Eye Radio that two burial sites held approximately 153 and 73 victims, respectively. Their combined total is an estimate, not a confirmed final death toll. In his Oct. 20 account to Reuters, Ngor gave a death toll of 153; his first reported count was 73.
Reuters reported that a fuel depot was within the area struck at the market. Ngor told the outlet that fires impeded the recovery of bodies and estimated that about 8,000 people had been displaced. Médecins Sans Frontières said more than 20 wounded people reached Ameth Bek Hospital, including patients with burns.
In an Oct. 20 briefing, the United Nations counted at least 28 civilian deaths from attacks at Amiet Market and Todach. It also reported people injured or unaccounted for. That early count covered both locations and was not a final toll for the market.
Abyei’s final status remains unresolved between Sudan and South Sudan. Amiet Market was also the scene of separate fighting on Sept. 15. The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei reported 26 people killed and 82 injured in its Sept. 16 count.
