Clashes in southern Sudan have resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people, including women and children, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The group stated that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by rebel commander Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, launched an attack on Thursday in the Kauda town areas of Debi and Luweri in South Kordofan.
Al-Hilu's fighters have aligned with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been engaged in a conflict with the Sudanese military since 2023. This ongoing war has caused widespread death, displacement, and famine across the country. Al-Hilu's group has been active in South Kordofan and has joined a local administration established by the RSF. This faction is a splinter group from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the ruling party of neighboring South Sudan.
The recent attacks occurred between the SPLM-N and the Otoro tribe, a minority group in the Nuba Mountains region of South Kordofan. The fighting took place despite a ceasefire initiative supported by the RSF in the preceding month. The Sudan Doctors Network described the attacks by al-Hilu's forces as a "clear violation of the agreement, a resumption of hostilities, and the targeting of civilians on an ethnic basis."
Reports indicate that al-Hilu did not commit to the ceasefire. His forces reportedly attacked 10 Otoro villages between August 20 and August 26, leading to the displacement of hundreds of civilians. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project noted in an analysis last week that the SPLM-N claimed to have taken control of Kauda in a video statement. Analysts suggest that the ongoing clashes could draw more Nuba clans into the conflict and exacerbate divisions within South Kordofan, a region already facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The Sudan Doctors Network has documented at least 158 killings since inter-communal violence began in March over land disputes.