Rebel Attacks Kill at Least 26 Civilians in Sudan’s South Kordofan, Medical Group Says

At least 26 civilians, including women and children, have been killed in shelling and village raids in Sudan’s South Kordofan province, according to statements from a local medical group. The attacks, attributed to a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), highlight growing ethnic and regional violence alongside the country’s civil war.

Artillery Bombardment in Dilling

The Sudan Doctors Network reported on Friday that SPLM-N fighters conducted an artillery attack on residential areas in the town of Dilling. The medical organization said the heavy bombardment killed at least five people, including a child, and left several others injured.

In its statement, the group described the shelling of populated areas as a violation of international humanitarian law that threatens to worsen severe living conditions in the area. The network called on international actors to intervene and press the leadership of the SPLM-N to “cease attacks against civilians and residential areas.”

Targeted Raids in the Nuba Mountains

The incident in Dilling followed another assault reported by the medical group on Thursday near the town of Kauda. SPLM-N forces attacked the areas of Debi and Luweri, killing more than 21 people, among them women and children.

The Sudan Doctors Network said the raids in the Nuba Mountains specifically targeted the Otoro tribe, a regional minority group. Land disputes had previously sparked clashes in the area earlier this year. Between August 20 and August 26, fighters attacked at least 10 Otoro villages, displacing thousands of civilians.

The recent violence occurred after SPLM-N leader Abdel Aziz al-Hilu declined to commit to a ceasefire initiative supported last month by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SPLM-N originally formed as a breakaway group from South Sudan’s ruling party. Al-Hilu has aligned his fighters with the RSF and joined an RSF-backed parallel government.

Foreign Interference Fueling Escalation

The reported attacks coincide with findings published Thursday by a United Nations-backed independent fact-finding mission. The panel reported that foreign involvement—including external supply lines, military drones, and foreign personnel—is expanding the conflict and increasing violence against civilians across Sudan.

Background

Sudan has been engulfed in war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced approximately 13 million, and created famine conditions in parts of the country. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 34 million people—about two-thirds of Sudan’s population—now require urgent humanitarian assistance.