A drone strike blamed on the Sudanese army killed at least 12 people at a fuel market near Sudan’s border with Chad, intensifying concerns that the country’s war is spilling into neighbouring states.
The attack hit the Adikong market west of El Geneina in West Darfur on Thursday. Adikong lies close to the Chadian town of Adré and a vital border crossing used by traders, local communities and humanitarian organisations supplying Darfur.
A Chadian security source told AFP that 12 people were killed and seven wounded when an airstrike targeted a market where the Rapid Support Forces allegedly obtained fuel.
Separate accounts indicated that the casualty toll could be higher. Darfur24, citing sources in the area, reported that 13 civilians were killed and dozens injured, including children.
Three Chadian citizens working at the market were reportedly among the dead, and their bodies were transported to Adré. Several victims remained unidentified after a fire caused by the strike badly burned their remains.
The blaze destroyed the market and spread to civilian vehicles parked nearby, while searches continued for people reported missing.
Some initial social-media reports claimed that the Adré humanitarian crossing itself had been bombed. However, local reporting placed the strike at the nearby Adikong fuel market rather than directly on the crossing.
The market serves as an important commercial hub for communities on both sides of the border. Residents across West Darfur depend on goods and fuel transported through the area.
The Sudanese army has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. Attribution to its drones was based on accounts from Chadian security officials and local sources and could not be independently verified.
Adikong has been subjected to several airstrikes during the conflict. A drone attack on the same market in March killed civilians and ignited fuel reserves, according to humanitarian groups and local monitors.
Thursday’s strike occurred amid rapidly deteriorating relations between Chad and Sudan’s army-controlled authorities.
N’Djamena recently accused Sudanese aircraft and drones of pursuing and attacking a military convoy more than 100 kilometres inside Chadian territory. Chad subsequently placed its forces on maximum alert and reinforced parts of its eastern frontier with armoured vehicles and equipment designed to counter drones.
The United States condemned the reported Sudanese strikes inside Chad and warned that an expansion of the war beyond Sudan’s borders could destabilise the wider region. The African Union has also urged restraint and called on the parties to respect the sovereignty of neighbouring countries.
Sudan’s army-controlled foreign ministry rejected assigning responsibility without an independent investigation. It maintained that Sudan respected Chad’s territorial integrity while defending itself against threats linked to the war.