Why Sudan's drones are now hitting markets, not battlefields

A drone strike hit Amiet market, north of Abyei town, on Monday, killing at least 153 people, according to Yohanna Akol Ngor, the Abyei administration's caretaker information minister. He blamed Sudan's military for the attack. A witness reported hearing five large explosions before a nearby fuel depot caught fire. The fire was still burning on Tuesday, and officials said the toll could rise.

The strike pushed the death toll from attacks in recent days past 250.

A senior Sudanese military officer told the Associated Press the army carried out a drone strike on Monday targeting fuel tankers arriving from South Sudan that he said were bound for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. A military source told the BBC the market served as a fuel-supply site for the RSF.

The Abyei strike was not an isolated incident. A separate drone strike near a market in al-Dibab, in West Kordofan state, killed 80 people on Sunday evening, mostly commuters, according to witness Ahmed Wadi and a medical source. A second strike on al-Mujlad injured four. More than 160 people were reported killed in drone attacks across western regions since Friday, plus three children killed in Khartoum on Monday. Attacks have been blamed on both the RSF and government troops.

What distinguishes this wave is where the drones are landing. Markets, fuel depots and transport hubs far from front lines are becoming the targets, making the war's signature weapon deadlier for civilians who are not near the fighting. The Abyei strike also shows the conflict crossing Sudan's borders into a disputed region where United Nations peacekeepers have warned that the RSF's presence has increased insecurity.

Attribution remains contested. The Abyei death toll comes from a local official who blamed Sudan's military without providing evidence. No independent body has issued an official casualty figure, and it is not yet clear how many of the recent attacks can be independently attributed to each side.

Recovery continues. The fire was still burning on Tuesday, and officials expect the toll to rise.