Drone Strike Hits Traditional Market, Killing 153

A drone strike in the disputed Abyei region killed 153 people. Vehicles were burned, buildings destroyed and fires continued to rage through the market a day after the attack.

The remains of a fire can be seen at Alneam Market after a drone strike hit the disputed Abyei region on the border between South Sudan and Sudan on Monday. The traditional market has become the latest casualty of the conflict between the government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Reuters reported on Thursday (22 October 2026) that 153 people had been killed in the attack. Photographs taken a day after the incident showed burned-out vehicles, destroyed buildings and fires still burning across the market area.

Abyei’s interim information minister, Yohana Akol Ngor, said the strike hit the market in the middle of the day. Ngor blamed the Sudanese army but provided no evidence to support the accusation. A spokesperson for Sudan’s armed forces did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Three diplomatic sources, a humanitarian aid worker and a conflict expert said the strike hit a fuel depot in the market area. According to the diplomatic sources, the depot had previously been used by the RSF to supply its forces. An RSF spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The strike highlights the destructive impact of air attacks in Sudan’s war, which broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. The conflict has triggered a major humanitarian crisis and drawn in local militias and foreign powers. The ongoing war continues to worsen security and humanitarian conditions in Sudan.