Sudan Official Asks UN to Probe Abyei Attack

SUDAN · ABYEI · UN PEACEKEEPING

A Sudanese official has asked the UN peacekeeping force in the disputed Abyei region to find out who bombed a busy market, a strike that killed more than 80 people.

On Saturday 24 October 2026, Al-Khair Abu Maridat, who heads Sudan’s side of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee, asked the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to open an urgent and transparent investigation into the Abyei market attack. The drone strike hit Amiet Market, also called Naam Market, on Monday 19 October 2026 and killed more than 80 people by the UN’s count and more than 220 by local officials’ count.

Sudan’s foreign ministry had already denied on Thursday 22 October that its army was behind the strike, so the request asks the UN to settle a question that Khartoum and Juba, the capitals of Sudan and South Sudan, answer in opposite ways. This follow-up to our earlier report on the strike covers what Sudan wants, what the UN has said, and why the answer matters to readers in the United States.

What Sudan Is Asking For

Abu Maridat made the request in a press statement that Sudan Tribune carried in Arabic and English on Saturday 24 October. He asked UNISFA to run an inquiry that names those responsible, and he demanded firm action against armed groups outside state authority and mercenaries competing for influence in or around Abyei.

“An urgent and transparent investigation to uncover the circumstances of the attack on Naam Market and identify those responsible, ensuring accountability and that those involved do not escape punishment.”
Al-Khair Abu Maridat, head of Sudan’s side of the committee, 24 October 2026, translated from Arabic

He warned that leniency toward such groups has helped create an unstable security environment in which attacks like this become more likely. He added that Sudan remains committed to its international obligations, to the agreements signed on Abyei and to international decisions meant to keep the area secure, and that stability there needs responsible cooperation and joint work to protect civilians.

What Happened at the Market

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the drone attacks of 19 October near Amiet Market and Todach, which he said “killed dozens of civilians, including women and children.” His statement, issued in New York on Tuesday 20 October, said the toll was expected to rise as UNISFA verified casualties and added that “there will need to be accountability.”

UN News reported on Friday 23 October that the attack killed more than 80 people and that UNISFA peacekeepers were first at the scene, where, in the words of Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Farooq, “every shop was burning.” The mission took more than 27 injured people to its hospital in Todach, according to its acting force commander, Brigadier General Adebowale Ajabge.

Local counts are far higher: Yohanna Akol Ngor, Abyei’s caretaker information minister, told Eye Radio on Tuesday 20 October that two mass graves held about 153 and 73 victims, a total above 220. He also said more than 8,000 people had fled to Abyei town and nearby areas.

Who Blames Whom

South Sudan’s government says it learnt “with grave concern of the drone attack carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces against Amiet Market,” according to The National. Its presidency added on Wednesday 21 October that “Abyei must not become a theatre for the conflict in Sudan,” Sudans Post reported.

Sudan’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Thursday 22 October that “categorically denies” that the Sudanese Armed Forces are responsible, calling the claims “baseless.” It compared the strike with the December 2025 drone attack on the UN logistics base in Kadugli, which Sudan blames on the RSF, but it did not say who it believes hit the market.

Sudans Post notes that the Associated Press quoted an unnamed senior Sudanese officer who said the army struck fuel tankers bound for the RSF and insisted that the army does not target civilians. That account differs from the ministry’s denial, and neither version has been independently verified.

The RSF-aligned administration that calls itself the Government of Peace says it asked the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan to investigate, and it accuses the army. A UN Secretary-General spokesperson has said the organisation is not yet in a position to formally determine responsibility, Sudan Tribune reported on Thursday 22 October.

Why Abyei Is Disputed

Abyei is an oil-rich area on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, and both countries claim it. A referendum on its future, promised in the 2005 peace agreement, was never held because the two sides could not agree who may vote, with the Ngok Dinka and the nomadic Misseriya at odds over the question.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled on Abyei’s boundaries on 22 July 2009, and after deadly clashes in 2011 the two sides agreed on 20 June 2011 to withdraw their forces and allow a third-party monitor. The Security Council created UNISFA on 27 June 2011 with Resolution 1990, and the Secretary-General has told both governments to uphold Abyei’s demilitarized status.

The summary of UNISFA’s mandate on its website lists monitoring the withdrawal of armed forces, protecting civilians under imminent threat, supporting humanitarian aid and demining. It does not list investigating attacks, so who would carry out an inquiry is an open question.

What It Means for US Readers

Americans with family, work or aid projects in Sudan or South Sudan should know that the State Department rates both countries Level 4, Do not travel, and its Sudan advisory is dated 15 May 2026. That advisory notes that the Abyei region remains disputed and that aerial attacks and unprovoked attacks on civilians may occur.

Washington also has a direct stake in the UN side of this story, because the United States is a permanent member of the Security Council, which on Friday 23 October called for a “full, transparent and prompt investigation,” UN News reported. The United States also has the largest assessed share of UN peacekeeping costs, 26.95% for 2024-25, according to the UN.

The market matters to the wider war: Sudan Tribune describes it as a hub for fuel, food, building materials and medicine where the RSF and allied militias tax trade bound for Darfur and Kordofan. Abyei officials say more than 8,000 people fled after the strike, and UNISFA’s mandate includes helping aid reach people in the area.

What Is Not Known

The final toll is unsettled, because the UN count of more than 80 is expected to rise and the local figure above 220 has not been independently verified. Nobody has publicly shown who flew the drones, and the accounts from Sudan’s ministry, an unnamed officer and South Sudan’s government cannot all be right.

The number of injured also differs, from 19 in the first local count to more than 27 treated by UNISFA. No complete list of the dead by nationality has been found, although Radio Tamazuj reports that local officials say the victims included Sudanese, South Sudanese and foreign nationals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Sudan ask the UN peacekeeping force to do?

On Saturday 24 October 2026, the head of Sudan’s side of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee asked UNISFA for an urgent and transparent investigation into the 19 October drone strike on Amiet Market. He wants those responsible identified so that nobody escapes punishment.

Is UNISFA the same as UNICEF?

They are different bodies: UNISFA is the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, a peacekeeping mission created in June 2011. UNICEF is the UN children’s agency.

How many people died in the Abyei market attack?

The UN counts more than 80 dead and expects the figure to rise as UNISFA verifies casualties. Abyei’s caretaker information minister told Eye Radio on Tuesday 20 October that the toll was above 220.

Who carried out the attack?

That has not been established. South Sudan blames the Sudanese army, Sudan’s foreign ministry denies it, and the UN Secretary-General’s statement names no perpetrator.

Why do Sudan and South Sudan both claim Abyei?

Abyei is an oil-rich border area whose final status was left open by the 2005 peace agreement. A promised referendum was never held because the two sides could not agree who may vote.

Is it safe for Americans to travel to Sudan or South Sudan?

The State Department rates both countries Level 4, Do not travel. Its Sudan advisory of 15 May 2026 warns that aerial attacks and attacks on civilians may occur.

Sources: Sudan Tribune (Arabic), 24 October 2026, Sudan Tribune (English), 24 October 2026, Sudan Tribune, 23 October 2026, Sudan Tribune, 22 October 2026, UN Secretary-General’s statement, 20 October 2026, UN News, 23 October 2026, UNISFA, mandate summary, UNISFA, background, UN Secretary-General on the Kadugli attack, 13 December 2025, Permanent Court of Arbitration, Abyei Arbitration, UN Peacekeeping, how it is funded, US State Department, Sudan advisory, US Embassy in South Sudan, travel advisory notice, Radio Tamazuj, Khartoum denies role, Radio Tamazuj, South Sudan summons envoy, Sudans Post, 23 October 2026, Eye Radio, 20 October 2026, The National, 21 October 2026. All opened on 25 October 2026. Photo: Sudan Envoy via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief