SPLM‑N rebels recapture Kauda in South Kordofan after two days of fighting

Sudan’s rebel movement, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement‑North (SPLM‑N) under the leadership of Abdelaziz al‑Hilu, announced on Tuesday that it had retaken the town of Kauda in South Kordofan after two days of intense fighting with Otoro fighters. The clashes, which began on Sunday, left several combatants dead on both sides and forced a temporary displacement of civilians from the surrounding villages. Government spokespeople have not yet commented on the incident, but the development marks the latest flashpoint in a protracted conflict that has plagued Sudan’s southern states since the secession of South Sudan in 2011.

The SPLM‑N traces its origins to the broader Sudan People’s Liberation Movement that spearheaded the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the eventual independence of South Sudan. When the north‑south split was finalized, many of the movement’s cadres crossed the new border, but a core of fighters remained in Sudan’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions, reorganising as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army‑North (SPLA‑N). In 2017 the SPLA‑N fractured into two rival factions: the al‑Hilu wing, which continues to pursue an agenda of autonomy and a “New Sudan” governed by the movement’s own structures, and the Agar wing, which later entered a power‑sharing arrangement with Sudan’s transitional authorities.

Al‑Hilu’s faction has been locked in a multi‑front confrontation with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and, more recently, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The group administers a quasi‑state in parts of South Kordofan and the Blue Nile, imposing its own tax and justice systems while maintaining a parallel military command. Its opponents, the so‑called Otoro fighters, are believed to be a locally recruited militia aligned with the SAF or the RSF, tasked with securing government‑controlled corridors and suppressing rebel advances. Both sides have accused each other of targeting civilians, a pattern that has deepened humanitarian concerns across the region.

The renewed battle for Kauda underscores the fragile nature of Sudan’s ongoing peace process. The 2020 Juba Agreement, which aimed to integrate rebel forces into a unified national army and grant political representation to opposition groups, has been repeatedly stalled by mutual distrust and the resurgence of hostilities. While the al‑Hilu faction has intermittently engaged in cease‑fire talks, the group’s demand for a federal restructuring of Sudan and guarantees of self‑determination for its territories remain sticking points. Conversely, the government and its allied militias view the SPLM‑N’s territorial claims as a direct challenge to national sovereignty and a potential catalyst for further fragmentation.

The fighting in Kauda carries implications that extend beyond Sudan’s borders. South Kordofan sits along a key overland route linking the Red Sea ports of Port Sudan and Suakin to the interior of East Africa, a corridor that underpins regional trade in oil, minerals and agricultural products. Persistent insecurity threatens to disrupt these logistics, prompting concerns among neighboring states such as Ethiopia and Kenya about the stability of supply chains that already face pressure from climate‑induced droughts and geopolitical realignments. Moreover, the conflict risks drawing in external actors—most notably the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which have vested interests in Sudan’s political trajectory—thereby complicating diplomatic efforts aimed at a comprehensive settlement. For the wider Horn of Africa, the resurgence of violence in Kauda serves as a stark reminder that Sudan’s internal discord remains a pivotal factor in regional security, economic resilience and the prospects for lasting peace.