Local authorities said a Sudanese military drone strike on Monday killed at least 53 people and injured 27 at the Amiet market in the contested Abyei region.

District officials reported that the attack involved the dropping of 22 munitions on the crowded market, which they described as a targeted bombardment.

The victims included women, children, the elderly, local traders, members of the Ngok Dinka community, South Sudanese returnees and refugees who had fled the wider Sudan conflict.

The strike was part of a broader wave of military operations between Sunday and Monday that has resulted in more than 100 deaths across Sudan.

The incident occurs amid the ongoing war between Sudan’s regular army and the Rapid Support Forces, a conflict that began in April 2023 and has generated one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Sudanese ambassador to lodge a formal protest, condemning the attack in the strongest terms and accusing the army of striking multiple locations within the civilian market.

Security in the Abyei border area remains volatile, with portions of the territory held by the SPLM‑N rebel movement, whose rival factions have aligned with opposing sides in Sudan’s civil war, further heightening regional tensions.