Arabic version: اشتباكات سوق النعام توقف تجارة حدودية حيوية
According to Allafrica, violent armed clashes at Al-Naam border market near Abyei on Tuesday, 15 September, reportedly killed and injured civilians, forced traders and families to flee, and halted commercial activity. The market, a major trading point between Sudan and South Sudan, was also exposed to reported looting.
Local accounts said a dispute involving individuals at the market escalated into sustained gunfire, with witnesses reporting machine guns and other heavy weapons. Accounts differed over who was involved: Radio Tamazuj reported clashes involving members of the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities, while other reports citing the Dar Hamar Emergency Room described fighting among armed elements affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces. Those claims could not be independently verified.
Reported casualty figures also varied. Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief Bulabek Deng Koul said nine deaths had been confirmed, while Abyei Information Minister Yohana Akol said 63 Ngok Dinka patients were being treated at a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital. The Dar Hamar Emergency Room reported 40 people killed and 57 injured. Restricted access, insecurity and poor telecommunications have prevented independent confirmation and reconciliation of the figures.
Al-Naam lies about 10 to 15 kilometres north of Abyei and supplies communities in West and South Kordofan, East and South Darfur, Abyei and several areas of South Sudan. With Sudan’s nationwide war disrupting established routes, goods, fuel and medicine arriving through South Sudan and other East African countries pass through the market. The suspension of trade and transport could deepen shortages and raise prices beyond the immediate area.
Local reports indicated a cautious calm by Wednesday morning, with some traders and residents returning. Community leaders and traditional authorities were reportedly working to prevent further escalation. The Darfur Network for Human Rights called for a prompt, independent and transparent investigation, protection for civilians, access to medical care, prevention of retaliation and the restoration of safe movement of essential goods.
