Sudan army strike in disputed territory kills 53

KHARTOUM

The family of Othman Omar Abdelrazik and Omar Abkar Abdelrazik, who killed in airstrikes on a gold mine on the Sudan-Egypt border on October 11, receive condolences at their home in Wad al-Hulaywah, Kassala State in eastern Sudan on October 16, 2026. (AFP Photo)

A drone strike by the Sudanese army killed 53 people at a market in an area disputed between Sudan and South Sudan, local authorities said on Oct. 20.

Authorities in Abyei district said the strike hit Amiet market on Oct. 19. They accused the army of launching 22 munitions during the attack, which also wounded at least 27 people.

“The casualties comprise vulnerable civilian populations, including women, children, the elderly, local merchants, members of the host Ngok Dinka community, South Sudanese returnees, and Sudanese refugees who had sought sanctuary from the broader regional conflict,” the authorities said.

Between Oct. 18 and 19, strikes across Sudan killed more than 100 people. The country is in the grips of a brutal war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that began in April 2023.

Abyei district is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, which split from its northern neighbor in 2011 following decades of conflict.

Parts of the district are controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a splinter from the organization that fought for Juba’s independence. The group is itself split in two, with each faction supporting opposite sides in Sudan’s war.

Juba’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the Sudanese ambassador over the attack, which it condemned “in the strongest terms possible.”