A local medical monitoring group has reported that 27 people, including four children, were killed during recent ethnic clashes in southern Sudan. The Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks casualties throughout the conflict-stricken nation, identified the perpetrators as members of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N).
The violence occurred in the Qardud and Abu Hamama regions of South Kordofan, areas primarily inhabited by the Otoro tribe. Tensions between the Otoro, a minority group in the Nuba Mountains, and forces linked to the SPLM-N have escalated throughout the year, initially stemming from long-standing land disputes. These ethnic clashes are now occurring against the backdrop of the broader civil war that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to the Sudan Doctors Network, the latest attacks have triggered a wave of displacement, with many residents fleeing toward the village of Abu Hitan and the regional hub of Kadugli. In a statement released on Facebook, the organization condemned the violence, asserting that the targeting of unarmed civilians, including women and children, on the basis of ethnicity represents an explicit violation of international humanitarian law.
The SPLM-N operates as a breakaway faction from the SPLM, which serves as the ruling party in neighboring South Sudan. Led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, the group has recently aligned its forces with the RSF and joined its parallel government structure.
