Sudan doctors group says 21 killed in RSF-allied SPLM-N attack in South Kordofan
Adel Abdel Rahim, Lina Altawell
05 September 2026•Update: 05 September 2026
At least 21 people, including women and children, were killed in an attack by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), allied with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in South Kordofan state, the Sudan Doctors Network said on Friday.
The independent medical network said in a statement that the attack targeted the Debi and Luweiri areas, south and west of Kauda, which are inhabited by the Atoro tribe.
The SPLM-N forces attacked areas in South Kordofan, killing the victims including women and children, and injuring others, the network said, adding the attack attack also forced a large number of civilians to flee the area.
It condemned the attack and accused SPLM-N forces of targeting civilians “on an ethnic basis” and displacing large numbers of them from their areas.
The Sudan Doctors Network described the attack as “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the rules protecting civilians.”
Previous clashes
On Aug. 25, the Sudan Doctors Network said 27 people, including four children, were killed in attacks it accused the SPLM-N of carrying out on two areas in South Kordofan “on an ethnic basis.”
On Aug. 20, SPLM-N forces took control of Kauda, the group’s stronghold, as part of a wider military operation to suppress an Atoro tribe rebellion in areas of Heiban locality in South Kordofan.
On July 2, the Sudanese government condemned the “bloody events and grave violations” in Kauda, saying they left civilians dead and injured.
The clashes followed fighting between the SPLM-N and a group from the Atoro tribe after disputes about border demarcation between the Shawaya and Atoro tribes turned into armed confrontations.
On May 13, the Sudan Doctors Network said more than 61 people were killed, including nine children and five women, in clashes between the SPLM-N and a group from the Atoro tribe in Kauda.
The Al-Hilu-led SPLM-N has fought the Sudanese government since 2011, demanding autonomy in South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.
Since April 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been locked in a war that erupted because of disputes regarding the integration of the paramilitary force into the military.
The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 13 million, while creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian and hunger crises.