SOUTH KORDOFAN – The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) announced on Tuesday that they had successfully repelled a major assault by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, on the “Dashoul” outpost located between Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan.
Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah, spokesperson for the SAF, said in a statement issued on Tuesday, that troops of the 14th Infantry Division based in Kadugli had thwarted a fierce attack launched by the SPLM-N. “The armed forces achieved a qualitative victory in the battle,” he stated.
The army inflicted heavy losses on the SPLM-N forces and maintained control over the Dashoul station – a strategic point along the vital route connecting Kadugli and Dilling. The SAF has recently intensified efforts to reopen blocked roads in South Kordofan in a broader campaign to break the siege imposed by The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and SPLM-N and re-establish military and logistical connectivity across the state.
The SPLM-N, under Abdelaziz al-Hilu’s command, has been engaged in renewed confrontations with government forces in the Nuba Mountains region. In March 2025, the group entered a formal alliance with the RSF, signing a charter known as the “Founding Alliance.” the pact outlines a power-sharing arrangement in a parallel government setup between the two groups, alongside other political and armed factions.
In recent weeks, the SAF has mobilized allied units, including the Joint Force and other pro-SAF militias, in an attempt to assert control over the wider Kordofan region. The RSF, in response, claimed to have deployed 15 military convoys into Kordofan over the past two days, signaling a new escalation in the struggle for dominance in the region.
The renewed fighting comes amid a broader fragmentation of power across Sudan, where state institutions have largely collapsed following the outbreak of civil war in April 2023. South Kordofan, in particular, has seen a resurgence of armed conflict between the army, the RSF, and long-standing armed groups such as the SPLM-N. The region, already suffering from historical marginalization, is now a critical front in the war for territorial control.
Clashes between The SAF and SPLM-N forces have intensified since the group’s open alignment with the RSF. The SAF accused the SPLM-N of exploiting the broader war to expand its territorial reach in South Kordofan, while SPLM-N officials claim they are defending the rights of marginalized communities and resisting authoritarian rule.
As Fighting continue, residents in South Kordofan remain trapped by shifting frontlines and mounting humanitarian needs, with access to aid and essential services increasingly cut off.
