The Otoro community on Saturday accused the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) of violating a newly declared cessation of hostilities by shelling Kauda in South Kordofan’s Nuba Mountains.
The allegation came less than 24 hours after SPLM-N leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu ordered his forces to halt hostilities in Kauda following an initiative by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to end fighting between the movement and Otoro fighters.
Otoro leaders had backed the initiative and agreed to halt armed confrontations to allow efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully.
In a statement, acting Otoro traditional leader Koko al-Dujail Damjala said Kauda had come under heavy bombardment from late Friday into Saturday morning. He said 120-mm mortars and 23-mm anti-aircraft guns were fired from an SPLM-N position in the nearby Al-Gadeel area.
Damjala described the shelling as a violation of the cessation of hostilities and called on mediators to intervene to ensure the arrangement was respected. He also said the Otoro community reserves the right to defend itself and protect civilians if attacks continued.
The SPLM-N rejected the accusation, saying its forces had not been involved in fighting against the Otoro.
In a statement on Saturday, the movement said there was “no war” between the SPLM-N and the Otoro and questioned the feasibility of using the weapons cited by Damjala inside Kauda.
“The Sudan People’s Liberation Army cannot conduct military operations in such a manner,” the statement said.
The SPLM-N also said its forces had not previously conducted military operations against the Otoro and therefore could not have violated a decision to halt what it described as tribal fighting.
The accusations follow weeks of fighting in and around Kauda, the main stronghold of the al-Hilu faction of the SPLM-N. The movement said on Aug. 20 that it had regained control of the town after clashes with Otoro fighters.
An Otoro-affiliated media platform separately claimed that SPLM-N forces had attacked Otoro positions on five fronts on Aug. 20 but were repelled. It said Otoro fighters remain in parts of Kauda and Luwira, contradicting the SPLM-N’s account.
The platform also released video footage that it said showed Otoro fighters inside Kauda, including near local government offices.
The latest fighting stems from a dispute over boundary demarcation between the Shawaya and Otoro communities in the Kauda area. The dispute escalated into armed clashes in March after Otoro leaders rejected a local boundary agreement reportedly approved by SPLM-N authorities.
The SPLM-N acknowledged in May that it had launched military operations in Otoro-inhabited areas, saying it was targeting people it described as rebels. The fighting subsequently caused civilian displacement and damage to homes and other property in Kauda and surrounding areas.
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