JUBA: Abyei’s caretaker information minister Yohanna Akol Ngor said on Tuesday that Monday’s drone strike on Amiet Market killed more than 220 people.
The attack hit a fuel depot near the market, north of Abyei town, in territory disputed by Sudan and South Sudan. Fire continued burning into Tuesday.
Ngor told Eye Radio that authorities had found two mass graves. He also reported that more than 8,000 people had fled the attack.
South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry blamed Sudan’s military, saying strikes hit several market locations and caused civilian deaths and extensive damage. It summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest and urged diplomatic engagement over Abyei.
However, a senior Sudanese military officer told the Associated Press that the army targeted fuel tankers supplying the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Read: Foreign Nationals Evacuated from Sudan Amidst Escalating Conflict
Speaking anonymously because he lacked authorisation to address the media, the officer claimed those killed were RSF members and fuel smugglers.
“We do not target civilians,” he said. AP could not independently verify the claimed targets or the identities of those killed. Ngor, meanwhile, said the depot supplied local businesses.
Read: Clashes break out near South Sudan capital in truce violation
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), known in English as Doctors Without Borders, reported receiving more than 20 wounded people at Ameth Bek Hospital. Several patients were critically injured, and some had burns.
MSF urged all sides to stop attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Amiet Market serves the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities. Abyei’s status remained unresolved when South Sudan became independent in 2011.
