Sudan Drone Strikes on Abyei Market and West Kordofan Kill Over 300

Key points

• Sudanese army drones struck Amiet Market in Abyei on Monday, killing 153 people, according to the region's information minister.
• A separate strike on a transport hub in Al-Dabab, West Kordofan, on Sunday killed 80 people, with 47 others transported to Al-Mujlad where 30 subsequently died.
• The Sudan War Observatory reports a total death toll of over 300, including 145 mourners killed in a truck and tent in West Kordofan.
• The army claims the Abyei market was a fuel supply site for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while the RSF and local officials accuse the military of targeting civilians.
• South Sudan has summoned Sudan's ambassador to lodge a formal protest over the attack in the jointly administered, oil-rich Abyei region.
• UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric condemned the strikes, noting they are killing civilians and disrupting essential services amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Background

The Sudan civil war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has killed at least 59,000 people and displaced 13 million. The conflict has intensified in Kordofan, a strategic area rich in gold and oil, as the army regains control of Khartoum. Abyei, an oil-rich region disputed between Sudan and South Sudan since 2011, has remained a source of tension due to unresolved voter eligibility issues for a referendum on its final status. The recent drone strikes follow a pattern of escalating drone use in the war, with 880 civilian deaths attributed to drone strikes between January and April 2026.

How outlets are covering it

BBC and Radio Tamazuj report that the Sudanese army carried out the Abyei strike, with the army claiming the market was a fuel supply site for the RSF. The RSF and local officials, including Abyei's information minister Yohana Akol Ngor, accuse the army of targeting civilians, noting that the market was a weapons-free zone under UN protection. Al Jazeera and The Guardian report that the RSF's self-declared administration, known as Tasis, and Emergency Lawyers accused the army of carrying out the West Kordofan strikes. The UN has condemned the strikes, with spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric expressing alarm at the continued deadly drone strikes killing civilians, including children. The US has urged the UN Security Council to push for a humanitarian truce and expand an arms embargo on Sudan, but China and Russia opposed widening the embargo.

Why it matters

The strikes highlight the escalating use of drones in the Sudan civil war, which has caused massive civilian casualties and disrupted essential services. The attack in Abyei has raised tensions between Sudan and South Sudan, with fears that the conflict could spill across the border. The strikes also underscore the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, with 20 million people facing acute hunger and a rising risk of famine in parts of Darfur and Greater Kordofan. The international community is divided on how to respond, with the US pushing for a truce and arms embargo, while China and Russia oppose widening the embargo.

What to watch

South Sudan has summoned Sudan's ambassador to lodge a formal protest over the Abyei strike. The UN is expected to continue condemning the strikes and pushing for a humanitarian truce. The US is urging the UN Security Council to expand an arms embargo on Sudan, but China and Russia have opposed this move. The conflict in Sudan is likely to continue, with the army and RSF both using drones to target each other's positions and supply lines. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is expected to worsen, with 20 million people facing acute hunger and a rising risk of famine.