Kauda, March 16 (Darfur24)
At least 20 people were killed and several others injured after violent clashes erupted over a border demarcation dispute in the village of Dabi in the Kauda region of South Kordofan State, according to local sources on Sunday.
Residents said the violence followed a dispute between local villagers and officials from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North, which controls the area and is led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.
A resident of Dabi village, identified as Musa, told Darfur24 that tensions escalated after an SPLM-N delegation arrived to mark new administrative boundaries in the area. Villagers reportedly rejected the new demarcation and removed the boundary markers, leading to confrontations.
According to Musa, a force affiliated with the movement later entered the village in the early hours of March 12, sparking clashes that left at least 20 villagers dead and several others wounded. The injured were taken to Kauda Hospital for treatment.
He added that parts of the village were burned during the violence, causing further civilian casualties, including women, children, and elderly residents. Among the victims was a villager named Hussein Al-Taher.
Residents said the movement later sent a delegation to calm tensions and open dialogue, but villagers refused to meet the representatives in protest over the attack.
Despite the tensions, sources indicated that the movement’s leadership intends to continue the border demarcation process, a step that residents say ignores the traditional coexistence arrangements among communities in the area.