SPLM-N leader orders halt to fighting in South Kordofan after RSF initiative

August 21, 2026 (KAUDA) – The head of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), ordered an immediate halt to fighting in the Nuba Mountains on Friday, backing an initiative by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to calm deadly ethnic unrest in the region.

Abdelaziz al-Hilu, SPLM-N chairman, instructed his forces to cease all hostilities in Kauda and Heiban county following an intervention proposed by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The directive came after SPLM-N fighters were accused of launching a deadly assault on areas populated by the ethnic Otoro group, burning homes across roughly eight villages and driving civilians into surrounding mountains, according to community leaders.

Al-Hilu issued a decree welcoming the mediation initiative by Dagalo, whose political alliance has sought broader influence across the country. The order calls for an immediate halt to armed operations, inflammatory rhetoric, and incitement to allow social and humanitarian mediation efforts to proceed.

The Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state have seen rising communal friction between the Otoro and Shawaya groups, which local sources say has increasingly spilt into the ranks of the SPLM-N’s military wing.

Community leaders told Sudan Tribune that SPLM-N forces have detained 26 Otoro aid workers since April because of their ethnicity.

The detainees, including both men and women, are being held in rebel-controlled facilities without access to family visits, and several have suffered deteriorating health, the leaders said.

Families were told the arrests were linked to tribal background, though formal charges and legal proceedings could not be independently confirmed. Local tribal bodies have demanded their immediate release.