Otoro Leaders Accuse SPLM-N of Violating Newly Announced Kauda Ceasefire Hours After It Took Effect

Otoro tribal leaders in Kauda, South Kordofan, accused SPLM-N (al-Hilu faction) forces of violating a cessation of hostilities announced less than 24 hours earlier, reporting on August 22, 2026 that artillery shelling began around midnight and continued into Saturday morning. Acting Otoro traditional leader Koko al-Dujail Damjala said Kauda came under bombardment from 120mm mortar rounds and 23mm anti-aircraft guns fired from an SPLM-N position in the nearby Al-Gadeel/Al-Qudail operations base. The ceasefire had resulted from a peace initiative by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo, which SPLM-N leader Abdel Aziz al-Hilu accepted alongside the Otoro tribe days earlier. SPLM-N rejected the shelling accusation, saying its forces were not involved in fighting against the Otoro and questioning the feasibility of using the weapons cited. The exchange extends weeks of ethnic tension in Kauda rooted in a tribal boundary dispute between the Otoro and Shawaya communities that has since evolved into open clashes.