Artillery shelling in Sudan’s south killed at least 40 people and wounded 70 others on Monday, two medical sources said, with the South Kordofan state governor accusing a rebel group.
The shelling hit the South Kordofan capital of Kadugli, under the control of the Sudanese army which has been at war with rival paramilitaries since April 2023. An unaffiliated rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), also maintains a foothold in the state.
A medical source at the main hospital in the city, requesting anonymity for safety concerns, told AFP that “shelling on Kadugli killed 40 people and injured 70 others”. A second source provided the same toll.
In a statement to AFP, South Kordofan Governor Mohamed Ibrahim said that the attack was carried out by a faction of SPLM-N led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.
“Hilu’s attack on civilians in Kadugli aims to destabilise” the area, said Ibrahim, vowing to “clear the mountains around Kadugli” of SPLM-N forces.
The governor said that the shelling targeted a market.
Hilu, whose faction also controls parts of Blue Nile state, refused to join other Sudanese rebel leaders in signing a 2020 peace deal with the government, as he sought a secular state as a prerequisite.
Hilu has also refused talked with paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, linking him with atrocities.
SPLM-N has clashed with both the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in parts of South Kordofan throughout their war.
(AFP)
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