KAUDA/DILLING, Sudan — May 14, 2026 — Violence in Sudan’s South Kordofan state has intensified sharply in recent weeks, with humanitarian monitors warning of worsening civilian casualties, mass displacement, and famine-like conditions amid expanding clashes involving rebel factions, local militias, and key actors in Sudan’s civil war.
According to the Sudan Doctors Network, at least 61 civilians have been killed in the town of Kauda over the past two weeks in fighting linked to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu. The toll includes nine children and five women.
Residents and humanitarian sources said survivors described extrajudicial killings, village burnings, and indiscriminate attacks targeting civilian communities in and around Kauda, a long-contested area.
The SPLM-N has reportedly said the operation targeted “rebels” within the Atoro tribe accused of defying military directives. However, local humanitarian groups and regional observers say the violence stemmed from disputes over border demarcation and territorial markers that escalated in March 2026.
The latest fighting marks a significant deterioration in security conditions in South Kordofan, a region that has experienced intermittent conflict for more than a decade but is now increasingly drawn into Sudan’s broader civil war.
Humanitarian organizations report that no safe evacuation or aid corridors currently exist in affected areas. Thousands of civilians are believed to be fleeing villages amid fears of further attacks and worsening food shortages.
Shelling intensifies in Dilling
In the city of Dilling, South Kordofan’s second-largest urban center, renewed artillery shelling on May 12 reportedly killed seven civilians and wounded at least 17 others after residential neighborhoods and the central market were hit.
Regional monitoring groups and local media indicate that the Rapid Support Forces and the SPLM-N al-Hilu faction are operating as a coordinated military alliance in parts of the Kordofan region.
The alliance is linked to the “Tasees” coalition formed in early 2025, which has focused operations on surrounding and pressuring government-held cities such as Dilling and Kadugli.
Prolonged siege conditions in Dilling have triggered severe humanitarian consequences. The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, warned that urban warfare and blocked aid access have created famine conditions in parts of the area.
Aid agencies say shortages of food, medicine, and fuel have worsened as continued attacks and insecurity disrupt major transport routes.
Strategic shifts in Sudan’s civil war
The conflict in South Kordofan reflects broader shifts in Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
The SPLM-N faction led by al-Hilu, which had remained largely neutral during the early stages of the conflict, has now formally aligned with the Rapid Support Forces, increasing pressure on Sudanese Armed Forces positions in southern Sudan.
In April 2026, Sudanese Armed Forces briefly reopened the strategic road linking Dilling to North Kordofan, partially breaking a blockade that had isolated parts of the region for years. However, Rapid Support Forces and SPLM-N fighters later launched renewed offensives to regain control of key supply routes.
Although the Sudanese Armed Forces formally restored the seat of government to Khartoum in January 2026, analysts say the heaviest fighting continues to focus on Darfur and Kordofan.
Humanitarian warnings grow
The United Nations Protection Cluster has issued an urgent warning that more than 50,000 residents in Dilling locality face “extreme isolation and exposure to violence” as the rainy season approaches.
Humanitarian officials fear that seasonal rains could render dirt roads impassable, further restricting limited aid deliveries and trapping civilians in conflict zones with little access to medical care, shelter, or food assistance.
International agencies have renewed calls for immediate humanitarian access, civilian protection measures, and independent investigations into alleged abuses by all parties involved in the fighting.
