The Government of Sudan has denied any involvement in the recent bombing of a market in the disputed region of Abyei, bordering South Sudan, an attack that caused more than 150 deaths and dozens of injuries. The authorities of South Sudan have directly pointed to Khartoum as responsible, while the Sudanese Executive directs the accusations towards the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group opposed to the Army.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has insisted "categorically" that the Armed Forces of Sudan "have no connection whatsoever with this unfortunate incident," emphasizing next that the attack "exhibits the characteristics typical of the crimes systematically committed by the terrorist militia," referring to the RSF.
In its statement, Sudanese diplomacy argues that the bombing bears similarities to "its previous actions," including an attack carried out in December 2025 against a camp of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), which resulted in the deaths of several 'blue helmets,' as well as "its attacks on humanitarian aid convoys."
The Ministry has also expressed in its statement, disseminated through social media, its "deep sorrow for the civilian victims" of the attack and has conveyed its "solidarity" to the families of the deceased and injured.
On Monday, the Government of South Sudan summoned the Sudanese ambassador in Juba to convey its "strong protest" against the bombing and "its implications for the safety of civilians and stability in Abyei," demanding explanations from Khartoum for the attack and "its implications for the safety of civilians and stability in Abyei."
At the same time, the president of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahmud Ali Yusuf, has "strongly" condemned this bombing and other airstrikes in Sudan, including one carried out on October 18 against the town of Al Dibab, in West Kordofan, which caused around 80 deaths.
Yusuf has denounced the "intolerable price" that the civilian population bears in the form of deaths, mass displacements, and destruction of basic services due to the war that began in April 2023 between the Army and the RSF. Therefore, he has urged both parties to end attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
In the same statement, he reiterated the need to respect "the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity" of Sudan and called on both the Army and the RSF to "avoid actions that incite conflict, may divide the country, or threaten neighboring states." He also reiterated his support for ongoing mediation initiatives and requested "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire" and "an inclusive political process."
The civil war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 due to deep disagreements over the integration of the paramilitary group within the Armed Forces, which derailed the transition that had opened after the overthrow in 2019 of the regime of Omar Hasan al Bashir. That process was already weakened after the coup that forced the departure of then-Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
The conflict, in which various countries are intervening to support one side or the other, has pushed Sudan into one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet, with millions of people displaced or refugees and growing international concern over the spread of diseases and the severe damage to essential infrastructure, which prevents assistance to hundreds of thousands of affected individuals.