A drone strike on a market in a border region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan killed at least 153 people on Monday, according to a local official, the latest in a wave of deadly attacks.

The strike pushed the toll from attacks in recent days to more than 250, underscoring the lethality of airstrikes in Sudan’s war, which ⁠erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces ⁠and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Yohanna Akol Ngor, the Abyei administration’s caretaker information minister, blamed Sudan’s military, without providing evidence, for Monday’s attack on Amiet market, north of Abyei town.

“We have recorded 153 deaths,” Akol said.

Sudan’s military did not respond to a request for comment.

An witness said he heard five large explosions that led to a fuel depot nearby catching fire.

“People started evacuating the casualties. They ​had injuries from shrapnel on their stomach and legs … In one site, I saw 28 bodies that were burnt,” the witness said, asking not to be named for safety reasons.

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said more than 20 wounded people were brought to Ameth Bek hospital, where MSF teams were working alongside staff from South Sudan’s health ministry.

“So far we received over 20 patients, including several critical cases. Patients with burns were also admitted,” said Dr Christian Lindauer, MSF’s medical activities manager at the hospital.

South Sudan’s foreign ministry also blamed Sudan’s military, saying it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest and urged Sudan to “refrain from any actions that endanger civilian lives and property”.

South Sudan declared independence from Sudan in 2011. Since then, both countries have staked a claim to oil-rich Abyei, which is jointly administered. It borders Sudan’s Kordofan region, which has become a major centre of fighting in the war.

On Sunday, a drone strike killed 80 people, mostly commuters catching rides home, when it hit near a market in West Kordofan state.

Another attack ⁠on a market in RSF stronghold Nyala killed 23 people and injured 44 on Friday, according to volunteers there.

MSF called on all parties to stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, expressing concern about people’s ability to safely reach healthcare and other essential services.

Amiet market is a trading hub serving the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities.

The region’s majority Ngok Dinka population favours joining South Sudan, while Misseriya nomads who use its pastures favour Sudan. Abyei has also experienced deadly communal violence, including fighting over land between Ngok Dinka and neighbouring Twic Dinka communities.