Sudan army accused of drone strikes killing more than 300

Sudan's army has been accused of carrying out drone attacks that reportedly killed more than 300 people across West Kordofan and the disputed border region of Abyei on October 18 and 19, including mourners travelling to a funeral. BBC News reported the casualty figures, citing a conflict-monitoring organisation and Abyei's information minister.

A military source acknowledged that the army struck the market in Abyei on Monday, describing it as a site supplying fuel to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). That assertion does not establish the status of those killed. The army has not responded specifically to allegations about Sunday's West Kordofan strikes, but said it does not attack civilians, even where it believes RSF fighters are among them.

South Sudan summoned Sudan's ambassador to protest the Abyei attack. The two countries jointly administer the oil-rich territory and both claim it, raising concern that Sudan's war could spread further across the border.

Mourners reportedly hit in West Kordofan

The Sudan War Observatory said a truck carrying approximately 200 mourners was struck on Sunday evening as it reached Al-Dabab in West Kordofan. The vehicle had travelled from an area north of Abyei.

Sources cited by the monitoring group reported 145 deaths in the truck attack and another five when a tent holding funeral mourners was hit. The group put the number injured in those attacks at 150.

The observatory also attributed an attack on a market in Al-Mujlad that evening to army drones, but said its casualty toll was not yet known. It assessed that the drones were likely launched from army-controlled Kadugli in South Kordofan; that launch location remains an assessment rather than a confirmed finding.

Abyei market toll rises to 153

Abyei Information Minister Yohana Akol Ngor said drones struck Amiet Market, about 10 kilometres from Abyei town, at approximately 11:30 local time on Monday. He initially gave details of the attack to Radio Tamazuj.

On Tuesday, Ngor told the Associated Press and Reuters that the death toll had risen from 73 to 153. Combined with the 150 deaths reported in the funeral attacks, the separately attributed tolls total 303, excluding any casualties at Al-Mujlad.

The broadcaster's verification team examined satellite imagery showing extensive fire damage to buildings in the north-eastern part of Amiet Market, also known as Al-Na'am Market. Earlier imagery showed the area occupied by numerous trucks.

Its analysis also authenticated nearby footage showing a large smoke plume and at least one petrol tanker, and another video showing two major fires. These findings document damage and fires, but do not independently establish the casualty figures or the claimed RSF use of the market.

Fires hamper rescue work

Market trader Fadlallah Adam Hamouda described widespread destruction and fear among residents. Another trader said flames spread from the fuel market to nearby homes and expressed shock that an area hosting UN peacekeepers had been attacked.

Ngor said fires had obstructed efforts to recover bodies. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said on Monday that Ameth Bek Hospital in Abyei town had received more than 20 wounded patients, including people with burns and several in critical condition.

Christian Lindauer, the charity's manager at the hospital, said staff were providing surgery, wound care and other emergency treatment. Those admissions were an initial hospital count, not a comprehensive total of people injured.

UN peacekeepers have operated in Abyei since 2011, with more than 2,800 uniformed personnel currently deployed. The territory's ownership has remained unresolved since South Sudan became independent that year.

Drone warfare deepens the humanitarian emergency

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned on Monday that continuing drone attacks were killing civilians, including children, and interrupting essential services. He said 20 million people faced acute hunger, with famine risks increasing in parts of Darfur and Greater Kordofan.

The war between the army and the RSF began in 2023 and has displaced more than 14 million people. Foreign suppliers have continued providing drones to both sides despite a partial arms embargo, making the weapons increasingly prominent in the fighting.

Greater Kordofan links RSF-controlled Darfur with Khartoum, which is now held by the army. Fighting in the gold- and oil-rich region has intensified over the past year after the army recaptured the capital.

Separately, AFP cited a medical source reporting that a drone strike near Khartoum airport on Monday killed four people, three of them children. A military source told the agency that air defences intercepted several other drones launched towards the airport by the RSF.