Rival faction seizes control of SPLM-N stronghold Kauda in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains

June 22, 2026 (KAUDA) – Security conditions have deteriorated significantly in Kauda, the main stronghold of the Abdel Aziz al-Hilu faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), after a rival group seized control of large parts of the town.

Reports indicate that widespread acts of arson and vandalism have targeted government headquarters, alongside public and private property.

The current tensions in the SPLM-N-controlled areas stem from disputes over border demarcation between the Shawaya and Otoro tribes in Kauda and its surrounding areas. Local friction escalated into armed clashes after the movement’s leadership approved a local border agreement that was rejected by Otoro leaders.

On May 8, the SPLM-N acknowledged conducting military operations in areas inhabited by the Otoro tribe, stating that the operations targeted elements it described as rebellious.

Local sources told Sudan Tribune that the dissident group, which belongs to the Otoro ethnicity, has largely taken control of Kauda and expelled the local administration.

Sources reported that the rival group set fire to the homes of government officials, including that of SPLM-N Secretary Amar Amum Daldoum, who also serves as foreign minister in the civilian administration aligned with the Rapid Support Forces. The destruction also affected the residence of the Alternate Governor of the Nuba Mountains, Dawoud Ashaya, as well as the main government headquarters, several churches, and offices of local aid organizations.

Mediation efforts aimed at calming the situation have failed, according to local sources. This includes an initiative by leaders from neighbouring South Sudan who called for defusing the crisis and launching a dialogue with local communities to reach a mutually acceptable agreement on inter-communal borders.

Conversely, the SPLM-N controlled regional administration of South Kordofan and the Nuba Mountains accused the rebel group of committing a series of abuses against civilians in Heiban County, including killings, abductions, looting, and property destruction.

The Governor of the Nuba Mountains region said in a statement that gunmen belonging to the rival faction executed a government employee and a high school student on June 5 after taking them to a military site. The governor also accused the group of attacking the Kauda Fawq market on June 8, killing six civilians and burning the market to the ground.

The statement added that three teachers from the Political and Leadership Training Institute have been missing since June 18 after being taken from the institute to an unknown destination. The administration also accused the group of assassinating the deputy pastor of the Catholic Church, Reverend Yohanna Al-Amin Naroum, and two guards on June 19.

The regional administration held the dissident group fully responsible for the breakdown of security and violations against civilians, adding that it would continue to take steps to protect citizens and prosecute those involved in the violence.

In a video recording, Koko Al-Dageel Dangla, the traditional King of the Otoro tribe, expressed fear that elements linked to the former Sudanese regime might be instigating the current events in Kauda. He remarked that the ongoing violence carries the hallmarks of abuses witnessed during previous years of war, including village burnings, rape, forced displacement, and the deliberate targeting of civilians.

Dangla stated that the Otoro tribe is facing targeted restrictions and harassment around Kauda. He denied that the SPLM-N leadership was behind these specific violations, instead blaming individuals who he said entered the Nuba Mountains from other regions to carry out the violence.

The traditional leader criticized the statements issued by the Nuba Mountains regional authorities that accused the Otoro of rebellion. He denied the involvement of his tribesmen in killings or an insurrection against the SPLM-N, emphasizing that their actions are restricted to defending their local communities and lands.

Dangla also accused factions within the SPLM-N of responsibility for some of the recent security breakdowns, including the killing of the Christian cleric.