The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) has condemned the deadly drone strikes on civilian markets in the disputed Abyei region, accusing the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of carrying out a deliberate attack that killed approximately 157 people and threatened to trigger a diplomatic confrontation with South Sudan.
TASIS spokesperson Ahmed Tugud said the strikes targeted fuel and food markets in an area with no military presence belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) or the alliance’s affiliated Peace Government.
Speaking to Erem News, Tugud described the attack as an act of revenge against civilians, accusing the military authorities in Port Sudan of deliberately targeting populated commercial areas.
He warned that the consequences could extend far beyond the immediate casualties, potentially opening a new front of political and diplomatic tensions between Port Sudan and Juba.
TASIS accuses SAF of deliberately targeting civilians
According to Tugud, the strikes devastated two major markets supplying essential commodities to communities in Abyei and neighbouring Sudanese regions.
He maintained that the markets were civilian facilities and rejected any suggestion that they constituted legitimate military targets.
Tugud alleged that the attack reflected a broader pattern of indiscriminate violence and retaliatory operations by Sudan’s military.
He said approximately 157 people were killed, with many others wounded, while both markets suffered extensive destruction.
Reuters separately reported that Abyei’s caretaker information minister, Yohana Akol Ngor, had confirmed 153 deaths as of Tuesday, warning that the toll could rise as emergency workers continued recovering bodies from the devastation.
The precise casualty figures have not been independently established.
South Sudan summons Sudanese ambassador
The attack has already triggered a diplomatic protest from South Sudan, whose government summoned Sudan’s ambassador in Juba to express its concern over the civilian casualties and the threat to stability in Abyei.
Tugud said the diplomatic response represented only the initial stage of a potentially wider confrontation.
He warned that anger among South Sudanese communities, particularly those with historical ties to Abyei, could intensify pressure on Juba to take further action.
The disputed, oil-rich region has remained a sensitive issue between Sudan and South Sudan since the latter gained independence in 2011.
A United Nations peacekeeping mission maintains a presence in Abyei, where unresolved territorial claims and longstanding communal tensions have repeatedly threatened stability.
International condemnation and fears of escalation
Tugud accused the Port Sudan authorities of violating international humanitarian law, arguing that the alleged deliberate targeting of civilian markets could amount to a serious international crime.
He further described the strikes as an act of aggression against a neighbouring country, noting that South Sudanese nationals were reportedly among the victims.
The United Nations has condemned the latest wave of drone attacks affecting Abyei and other parts of Sudan, expressing alarm over the growing civilian toll and destruction of vital infrastructure.
Medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières said its teams were treating more than 20 wounded patients at Ameth Bek Hospital, including people suffering from burns.
The Sudanese military had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment on allegations that it carried out the Abyei attack.
Historical grievances threaten renewed conflict
Tugud warned that the massacre had revived painful memories of previous violence in Abyei, a region whose disputed status has long complicated relations between Sudan and South Sudan.
He accused Sudan’s Islamist movement and its allied military forces of contributing to decades of bloodshed in the territory.
According to the TASIS spokesperson, mounting anger among Abyei residents and South Sudanese communities could turn the latest attack into a broader confrontation with the military authorities in Port Sudan.
He cautioned that the consequences would not be limited to diplomatic protests, warning of sustained escalation unless those responsible were held accountable.
The attack comes amid intensifying drone warfare across Sudan, where repeated strikes on markets, residential neighbourhoods and other civilian locations have raised growing concerns over possible violations of international humanitarian law.
