Sudan Clashes Kill Over 61 People in South Kordofan, Including Children

At least 61 people, including children, have been killed in clashes in South Kordofan, Sudan. Medical groups say civilians were targeted, homes burned, and aid access blocked as fighting between rebel and paramilitary forces continues.

Two weeks of intense fighting in southern Sudan have left more than 61 people dead, including nine children, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, as violence linked to the country’s ongoing civil war continues to escalate.
The clashes reportedly broke out earlier this month in the town of Kauda in South Kordofan between fighters linked to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and members of the Otoro tribe. The rebel movement is led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, whose forces have aligned themselves with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), currently battling Sudan’s military government.
Sudan’s war, which began in 2023 and is now entering its fourth year, has devastated large parts of the country. The Sudanese military currently controls most of the north, east, and central regions, including key Red Sea ports, oil refineries, and pipeline networks, while rebel and paramilitary groups continue to contest other territories.
According to testimonies gathered by medical volunteers in South Kordofan, the dead include at least five women and nine children. Survivors described horrifying scenes of violence, saying armed fighters attacked civilians indiscriminately during the clashes.
Mohamed Elsheikh, spokesperson for the Sudan Doctors Network, said communication challenges and insecurity in the region have made it difficult to confirm the actual death toll. He warned that the number of casualties is likely much higher as fighting remains ongoing in several areas.
The medical group accused SPLM-N fighters of burning homes, destroying shops, and looting civilian properties in and around Kauda. Witnesses told investigators that many residents fled their communities after villages were set ablaze during what the group described as “systematic burning” operations targeting civilian areas.
The organization also warned that there are currently no safe humanitarian corridors to evacuate wounded civilians or allow aid agencies to deliver emergency assistance to affected communities.
Violence also spread to the town of Dilling in South Kordofan, where artillery shelling reportedly carried out by the RSF killed seven people and injured 17 others on Tuesday. Omran Teia, director of Umm Bakhita Hospital in Dilling, told The Associated Press that civilians were directly targeted during the bombardment by RSF and allied SPLM-N forces.
Both the Sudanese military and rival armed groups have repeatedly faced accusations from the United Nations and international human rights organizations of committing serious abuses during the conflict. Alleged crimes include ethnic cleansing, extrajudicial killings, attacks on civilians, and widespread sexual violence.
Humanitarian organizations say the true scale of the crisis may be far worse than current figures suggest, as ongoing insecurity and limited access to conflict zones continue to prevent independent verification of casualties and destruction across the vast country.