UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged authorities in Sudan and South Sudan to act to avert further attacks in the disputed Abyei border region, UN News reported. He strongly condemned deadly drone strikes near a busy market on Monday that killed dozens of civilians, injured many others and set structures ablaze. "I express my deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wish a swift recovery to the injured," he said in a statement published late on Wednesday.

Source: UN News

Guterres noted that after the attack, the UN peacekeeping force in Abyei (UNISFA) deployed medical personnel, firefighting equipment and quick reaction forces to provide emergency treatment, support casualty evacuation and prevent the fire from spreading, UN News said. The strikes on Amiet Market and the Todach area are among the latest developments in the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that erupted in April 2023. No party's claim about who carried out the Abyei strikes is settled in the UN reports cited here, and this story attributes the toll to the Secretary-General's statement.

Source: UN News

Wider UN alarm over drone strikes in Sudan

The condemnation follows a wider UN warning earlier this week. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN was alarmed by continued deadly drone strikes across Sudan killing civilians, including children, and disrupting essential services, UN News reported in a separate briefing. Over the weekend, drone attacks reportedly killed at least 19 people, including 10 children, and injured others across West Darfur, South Darfur and North Kordofan, Dujarric said; on Monday, strikes injured at least 19 people in a busy market in Abyei and targeted locations in Khartoum, including near the airport, where one civilian was reportedly killed and some flights were cancelled.

Source: UN News

Guterres stressed that attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law. "I remind that all parties to the armed conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including to respect and protect civilians at all times," he said, underlining the need for accountability and calling on the Governments of South Sudan and Sudan to take all steps possible to help prevent further attacks and uphold Abyei's demilitarised status, UN News reported. The UN says 20 million people in Sudan face acute hunger, with a rising risk of famine in parts of Darfur and Greater Kordofan.