SPLA-N Accused Of Attacks And Aid Worker Detentions In Nuba Mountains

Kauda, August 8, 2026 - A senior Otoro tribal leader accused forces loyal to the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North faction led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu of launching new attacks on villages around Kauda in South Kordofan's Nuba Mountains and detaining four local aid workers. Koko Al-Diqair Damjala, the Otoro paramount chief, said SPLA-N intelligence forces raided a residential compound used by Samaritan's Purse in Kamalila and took four Sudanese staff members to an undisclosed location.

He also accused SPLA-N forces of attacking Al-Qoz, Nawali and Korbela villages in the Debe Bayam area and shelling Luwere with heavy artillery. The latest violence follows months of clashes between SPLA-N forces and members of the Otoro community, rooted in a local dispute that escalated into armed confrontation.

The fighting has displaced thousands of civilians, with homes, Kauda's main market, aid agency offices and official residences looted or burned. The allegations point to a widening security and humanitarian crisis in one of Sudan's most sensitive conflict zones.

Any prolonged disruption around Kauda would further constrain aid access in South Kordofan and complicate local mediation efforts at a time when Sudan's wider war has already fragmented authority across the country.