SPLM-N says it retakes stronghold, denies targeting Otoro civilians

August 26, 2026 (KAUDA) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu said on Wednesday it had re-established control over its stronghold of Kauda following internal mutinies and inter-communal violence, denying allegations that its forces had killed dozens of ethnic Otoro civilians.

The movement released video footage showing its forces entering civil administration offices in Kauda, located in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan state, and called on the local governor to return to his post.

Earlier reports indicated that mutinous SPLM-N fighters from the Otoro ethnic group had seized the town following local clashes.

The movement denied reports that its forces executed dozens of Otoro tribesmen in the Um Heitan area of South Kordofan.

On Tuesday, the independent Sudanese Doctors Network said 27 people, including four children, were killed and several others wounded when the SPLM-N attacked the villages of Al-Gerdoud and Abu Hamama during clashes with the Otoro.

The SPLM-N said about 3,000 displaced Otoro civilians had arrived in Delami County since July 20, fleeing land disputes with the Shawaya ethnic group in Heiban County, adding that aid had been distributed to them.

The movement’s leadership said it had transferred 200 mutinous Otoro soldiers to its military headquarters in Tungoli for administrative and disciplinary procedures after they broke ranks to support their ethnic group.

The conflict in the region stems from land and boundary disputes that began in 2020 between the Tira, Otoro, and other local groups, tensions that local sources say are linked to competition over artisanal gold mines.

A 2022 border demarcation committee in Heiban collapsed after Otoro representatives withdrew.

Last week, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), called for a ceasefire among the parties.