SPLM-N Hilu retakes full control of Kauda after clashes with Otoro fighters

August 20, 2026 (KAUDA) – Sudan’s main southern rebel group has regained full control of its stronghold of Kauda, South Kordofan, following two days of fighting aimed at putting down an internal uprising, local sources said on Thursday.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, launched an offensive on Monday to quell a mutiny by fighters from the local Otoro clan in South Kordofan’s Heiban County.

By Tuesday, the group’s armed wing had retaken the entire town, including the Luwere district where top leaders live, the sources said.

The area houses the residence of al-Hilu, the home of his deputy Jagod Mukwar, and the grave of the movement’s late founder, Yousif Kuwa Mekki.

The forces also recaptured local administrative offices and public buildings previously seized by armed Otoro fighters, the sources added.

The unrest stemmed from long-standing land boundary disputes between the Otoro and Shawaya communities that escalated into armed confrontations in March, prompting SPLM-N forces to intervene.

Fighting over the past month has displaced thousands of civilians, with residences, aid agency premises, government offices, and the central market burned or ransacked.

Inmates were also freed from the local Kudi detention facility during the chaos.

An Otoro media committee accused the SPLM-N of widespread abuses, including unlawful killings, arbitrary detentions, and forced displacement.

The committee said in a statement that forces led by senior commander Koko Idris attacked Otoro communities across several parts of the Nuba Mountains on Thursday morning, including the Debri and Greater Kitchama areas.

The committee urged international agencies and rights groups to intervene to protect civilians and called for an independent investigation into abuses against non-combatants.

The SPLM-N controls swathes of territory in the Nuba Mountains region of South Kordofan, remaining outside a fragile peace process in the war-torn country.