Kauda, May 15 (Darfur24)
Violent clashes erupted inside the city of Kauda, the main stronghold of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan, after armed groups linked to the Atoro area attacked parts of the city, according to eyewitnesses and local sources.
Witnesses told Darfur24 that fighting began on Wednesday morning and continued into Thursday, causing widespread panic among residents and leading to the burning of large sections of the Kauda market.
Sources said the attackers advanced from the southern countryside of Kauda through the Anqulu area and from the Heiban axis, adding that armed elements from inside the city also participated in the attack.
The clashes come amid escalating internal tensions within the SPLA following disputes between the movement’s leadership and officers affiliated with the Atoro group.
Earlier this month, fighting broke out between SPLA factions in the village of Siliri, east of Kauda and later spread to the Durdur area southwest of the city. On May 3, armed factions linked to the movement attacked the Kerendi area near Kauda, resulting in deaths, injuries, the burning of homes and the destruction of a church.
In mid-March, another deadly conflict erupted between SPLA forces and local groups from the Dubai area over a border demarcation dispute, leaving more than 20 people dead.
In a statement issued on May 9, the SPLM-N led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu acknowledged attacks on villages near Kauda and blamed the violence on what it described as a rebellion by members of the Atoro tribe following disputes with the Shawaya tribe over border demarcation.
The movement said it had deployed forces to separate the two sides and ordered military leaders from both tribes to report to the General Staff for investigation. According to the statement, officers from the Shawaya tribe complied, while officers from the Atoro tribe refused and formed what the movement described as a “rebel group” that later attacked the People’s Army.
The SPLM-N also said it had organized a conference for native administrations in Heiban in 2022 to settle border demarcation disputes, noting that all participating tribes accepted the results except the Atoro tribe, despite its involvement in the demarcation committees.