Sudan Doctors Network reports 27 killed in rebel attacks in South Kordofan

The Sudan Doctors Network has reported that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) rebels killed 27 individuals, including four children, in South Kordofan. The attacks occurred in the areas of Qardud and Abu Hamama, which are inhabited by the Otoro tribe. The medical organization stated that these actions resulted in significant displacement among citizens towards the Abu Hitan area and Kadugli. The Sudan Doctors Network condemned the targeting of unarmed civilians on ethnic grounds as a violation of international humanitarian law and warned that ongoing violations could escalate the conflict in South Kordofan into a broader ethnic conflict. These killings follow previous intense fighting between SPLM-N forces and the Otoro tribe, a minority group in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan. The ethnic tensions originally stemmed from land disputes and contribute to the ongoing civil war in Sudan, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Sudan Doctors Network has called on the international community to pressure SPLM-N leadership to cease attacks on civilians, noting that women were also among those injured in the recent incidents. The SPLM-N is a faction that broke away from the ruling party of South Sudan and is led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, who has allied with the RSF and joined the RSF-led parallel government in Sudan. The civil war in Sudan has resulted in at least 59,000 deaths and displaced approximately 14 million people. The World Health Organization reports that around 33.7 million people, or two-thirds of Sudan's population, are in need of humanitarian assistance.