MILAN (AP) — Italy announced new security measures on Tuesday aimed at tackling the kind of violent protests that caused damage to Milan 's central shopping district when weekend rioters, many of them minors, looted stores and set fire to property.
A government decree calls for the deployment of an additional 500 soldiers to Milan through the end of the year, requiring parents to pay for damage caused by minors and making it easier to prosecute minors over 14.
In a video posted on social media, Premier Giorgia Meloni said the presence of so many young rioters was “painful and frightening.”
“Young people … came to the square to smash things, steal and film themselves doing it,” Meloni said. “This is a phenomenon that we must address seriously, also to prevent those images from becoming a model for others to imitate.”
The decree also creates a new criminal offense of violent participation in a demonstration, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 20,000 euros ($22,500). Penalties increase if offenders cover their faces or someone is injured.
Protesters will be responsible for paying for property damage, with parents liable for damage caused by minors, Meloni said.
The decree, which must be converted to law by parliament within 60 days, also automatically presumes that anyone over age 14 is capable of understanding their own actions, unless proven otherwise. That until now was up to a judge to determine.
Meloni also said the government would add new beds to detention facilities and judges to the juvenile justice system.
Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse rioters, many with their faces covered, who clashed with police, looted stores and set property on fire in central Milan on Saturday. Looting and violence continued on Sunday, with authorities saying more than 100 police officers were injured over two days.
Milan police said 2,000 youths participated in the riots Saturday night, including a large presence of naturalized Italians born to foreign parents as well as foreign nationals. Of the roughly 50 people arrested over the weekend, more than 30 are minors.
The unrest coincided with nationwide demonstrations in neighboring France against rising living costs and in support of high school students’ grievances. French police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent protesters who joined the rallies.
Police confront "Italia in Piazza" protesters in Milan, Italy, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (Stefano Porta/LaPresse via AP)
Carabinieri officers talk to people in Duomo square, Milan, Italy, a day after rioters clashed with police, looted stores and set property on fire, Monday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A fire burns following clashes between police and "Italia in Piazza" protesters in front of the Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (Stefano Porta/LaPresse via AP)
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — A drone strike on a market in Abyei, a border region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan, hit a nearby fuel depot, killing at least 153 people and igniting a fire that was still burning Tuesday, a local official said.
Yohanna Akol Ngor, the Abyei administration’s caretaker information minister, blamed Sudan ’s military for Monday’s attack on Amiet Market, north of Abyei town.
“We have recorded 153 deaths,” Ngor told The Associated Press by phone Tuesday. He said the death toll continued to rise as the fire burned.
A senior Sudanese military officer said the army carried out a drone strike Monday targeting fuel tankers arriving from South Sudan that he said were bound for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The officer said those killed were RSF members and people involved in fuel smuggling. “We do not target civilians,” he said. The AP could not independently verify his account of the targets or the identities of those killed.
The officer said the strike took place outside the demilitarized zone along the border with South Sudan.
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 the attack hit multiple locations within the market, causing civilian casualties and extensive property damage.
The ministry said it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest and urged Sudan to “refrain from any actions that endanger civilian lives and property.” It called for issues concerning Abyei to be addressed through diplomatic channels.
Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023, devastating large parts of the country and threatening stability along its borders.
Ngor said the strike hit around 11 a.m. Monday. He said the fuel depot supplied local businesses.
“It is a horrible and shocking situation,” he said.
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 oil-rich Abyei region’s status was left unresolved by a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war and remained unsettled when South Sudan became independent in 2011. A proposed referendum stalled over disagreements about who could vote.
The region’s majority Ngok Dinka population favors joining South Sudan, while Misseriya nomads who use its pastures favor Sudan. Abyei has also experienced deadly communal violence, including fighting over land between Ngok Dinka and neighboring Twic Dinka communities.
Yassir Abdalla contributed from Shendi, Sudan.
FILE - The silhouettes of South Sudanese people are seen through a South Sudanese flag as they line up to cast their votes in Juba, South Sudan, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
