Security Council condemns 19 October drone attacks in Abyei Area and demands accountability

The Security Council condemned the drone attacks in the Abyei Area on 19 October in a press statement issued by Council President Aglaia Balta (Greece). The members of the Council “condemned in the strongest terms” the attacks near Amiet Market and Todach. The statement says the attacks killed and injured many, including women and children.

The members noted with grave concern that “the death toll is expected to rise”. They said the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) continues to verify casualties. The statement gives no number of dead or injured. It does not say who carried out the attacks.

The Council members said international humanitarian law prohibits attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects, and that such attacks “could constitute war crimes”. They reminded all parties to armed conflict of their obligations to protect civilians. They called for a full, transparent and prompt investigation and stressed that “the perpetrators must be held to account”.

The members also reaffirmed that the Abyei Area must remain demilitarized and free of all forces except UNISFA. They called on all actors to cease all military operations and occupation there. They said all parties must work with UNISFA to ensure the safety and security of civilians, humanitarian workers and peacekeepers. UNISFA is itself a United Nations force, so the UN is both a body reporting on this story and a presence on the ground in it.

The counts of the dead differ between reports. UN News, in an Arabic report on the daily briefing of the Secretary-General's spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said at least 28 civilians were killed at Amiet market. It said many were wounded and a large number were missing. UN News, in a French report, said local authorities put the dead at no fewer than 153 after a strike on the Amiet market that set a fuel depot on fire. It said the toll could rise because rescuers were struggling to find bodies in the burnt rubble. The sources do not explain the gap between the figures.

A local official accused the army of Sudan, according to the French UN News report. It added that, according to the press, a Sudanese officer confirmed a strike had targeted tanker trucks said to be meant for the Rapid Support Forces. The officer disputed that civilians were targeted. The UN News report could not confirm this, and the Council statement names no party.

The Secretary-General, António Guterres, also condemned the attack. UN News in Chinese reported that he issued a statement strongly condemning the 19 October drone attack, which caused heavy civilian casualties. The feed carried only a summary of that report. A UN News headline in Arabic said he called for accountability and the protection of civilians. Mr. Dujarric said the UN remains alarmed by the incessant drone attacks across Sudan and the damage they do to essential infrastructure.

The French UN News report places the Abyei attack within a wider wave of drone strikes in Sudan. It cites reports of a strike on a market in West Kordofan, a strike on a house near Nyala in South Darfur, and strikes that damaged the main power plant in Tendalti. It says about 20 million people face acute food insecurity. It says the humanitarian response plan for Sudan is funded at a little over 43 %.

The sources do not say how any Council member, the United States included, positioned itself on the statement.