Sudan doctors group says rebel attack kills 27, including children

A Sudanese medical monitoring group has accused a rebel faction of killing at least 27 people, including four children, in ethnic violence in the country's southern region.

The Sudan Doctors Network said the attacks took place in the villages of Qardud and Abu Hamama, areas inhabited by the Otoro tribe in South Kordofan. The group attributed the killings to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a breakaway rebel faction.

The violence follows earlier clashes this year between SPLM-N-linked forces and the Otoro, a minority community in the Nuba Mountains. The doctors' network said the latest attacks have forced many residents to flee toward the nearby village of Abu Hitan and Kadugli, the largest town in the region.

In a statement on Facebook, the Sudan Doctors Network said targeting unarmed civilians on ethnic grounds constitutes an explicit violation of international humanitarian law. The group also reported that women were among the wounded and urged the international community to pressure SPLM-N leadership to halt attacks on civilians.

The ethnic standoff, which began over land disputes, adds another layer to Sudan's ongoing civil war that erupted in April 2023 between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SPLM-N, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, has aligned with the RSF and joined its parallel government.