Fierce fighting in southern and western Sudan resulted in at least 65 fatalities and over 130 injuries on Monday, according to medical sources. This violence is part of an ongoing devastating conflict between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces.
In South Kordofan, artillery fire targeted the state capital, Kadugli, killing at least 40 people and injuring 70. Governor Mohamed Ibrahim attributed the attack to a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, which has a presence in the state. Ibrahim asserted that Hilu’s actions aimed to destabilize the area and vowed to eliminate rebel forces from the surrounding mountains. The shelling specifically targeted a local market.
The SPLM-N has engaged in clashes with both the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across various regions of South Kordofan amid the ongoing conflict that has engulfed Sudan since April 2023.
In a separate incident, a military air strike in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, resulted in the deaths of 25 individuals and injuries to 63 on Monday. The strike hit the Cinema District, an area under RSF control. The RSF accused the army of employing “barrel bombs” against civilian targets in Nyala. Nyala is located approximately 195 kilometers (121 miles) from El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur, which remains under army control.
El-Fasher has a population of about two million people, who have been under the RSF’s siege since May. The city has been the center of intense fighting as the army struggles to retain its last position in the area.
According to the UN’s migration agency, over 600,000 people have been displaced from North Darfur between April 2024 and January 2025, with the International Organization for Migration documenting 95 incidents—more than half occurring in El-Fasher—displacing approximately 605,257 individuals (121,179 households).
Additionally, violence in South Kordofan and Darfur coincides with escalated fighting between the army and RSF in Khartoum. The army recently broke a siege of its capital headquarters, previously encircled by RSF forces since the beginning of the war.
Last week, the RSF shelled a busy market in army-controlled Omdurman, resulting in at least 60 deaths and over 150 injuries. In the capital, an air strike on an RSF-controlled district led to two civilian deaths and numerous injuries.
Both conflicting parties are frequently accused of targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential neighborhoods. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, displaced over 12 million individuals, and severely damaged Sudan’s fragile infrastructure, incapacitating most healthcare facilities.
As the army continues its advances in Khartoum, UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed concern on Monday regarding allegations of summary executions of civilians in Khartoum North by allied fighters and militias. Many victims reportedly hail from Darfur or Kordofan. Dujarric emphasized that Sudanese civilians—women, children, and men—are suffering as a direct consequence of the ongoing hostilities and urged all parties to cease fighting and pursue a lasting peace.