SPLM-N Forces Execute 47 Civilians by Firing Squad Around Kauda

The Sudan Doctors Network said on Tuesday that 27 people, including four children, were killed and others, including women, were injured, in attacks carried out by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, on two areas in South Kordofan State, southern Sudan.

Local sources said the death toll had risen to 47.

The network said in a statement that al-Hilu’s forces attacked the areas of Al-Gardoud and Abu Hamama around Kauda in South Kordofan State, amid a conflict with the Atoro tribe, which inhabits the area.

The network said information from its field team indicated that the attacks killed 27 people, including four children, and injured others, triggering a major wave of displacement among residents toward Abu Hitan and Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State.

Local sources said the death toll had risen to 47 after SPLM-N forces executed around 20 fighters by firing squad who had defected from the movement and joined their tribal fighters.

The Sudan Doctors Network said that targeting civilians, including women and children, on an ethnic basis constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law, stressing its rejection of any retaliatory practices targeting residents because of their ethnic or tribal affiliation.