Battle of Kadugli

Kaduqli is the capital of South Kordofan, a region which was affected by an insurgency of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N). The fighting was both a spillover of the previous Second Sudanese Civil War as well as ethnically motivated, as the local Nuba people have historically suffered under oppression by northern Sudanese regimes and accordingly supported the SPLM-N. In 2017, the SPLM-N split into two major factions. The rebels in South Kordofan aligned with Abdelaziz al-Hilu, an ethnic Nuba, who opposed compromises with the Sudanese government. Even after the Sudanese Revolution of 2019, al-Hilu opposed the agreements between other SPLM-N factions and the country's new leadership, stating that reforms were a prerequisite to peace.[2]

In 2020, five people were killed in the city by militiamen.[4] In 2023, tensions within the Sudanese government escalated into a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).[2]

By 8 June, the Rapid Support Forces had closed the road between Kadugli and El Obeid depriving the city of supplies.[5] At this point, fighting had spread to the smaller cities in neighboring Darfur.[6] Meanwhile, SPLKM-N (al-Hilu) forces converged on Kadugli[2] The local Sudanese Armed Forces garrison pushed back an RSF attack on one of its bases in the area, as the SPLKM-N forces began besieging the city.[7]

On 21 June, the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) started an assault on the SAF's 54th Infantry Brigade around Kadugli. The military claimed that it had repelled the attack, while the Sudanese Air Force deployed MiGs and Sukhoi aircraft to bomb SPLM-N (al-Hilu) troops and bases around the city. Fighting also began at other towns in the region such as Dalang and al-Dibaybat.[2] On 15 July, both the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) and the RSF launched major attacks around South Kordofan including at Kadugli. However, the two factions do not seem to coordinate or be allied; instead, both exploit each other's operations against their common enemy, the SAF.[2] On 1 August 2023, protests began in Kadugli against the ongoing clashes in the city, with protesters also denouncing the war and the country's violations against women.[8] By mid-August, the SPLM-N had captured ten military bases around Kadugli and was repeatedly attacking the town itself.[9]

By early September, 50,000 civilians had fled the area, as the SPLM-N continued it attempts to capture the city.[10] However, combat in area suddenly ceased around this time. Journalists of Darfur24 subsequently revealed that SPLM-N members were meeting with officers of the 14th Infantry Division in and around Kadugli,[3][11] attempting to mediate an end of combat. However, the talks failed and the battle resumed.[11] SPLM-N chief of staff Izzat Koko Angelo reportedly also sent a letter to Brigadier General Kafi Tayyar Al-Badeen, calling on him to defect. Al-Badeen led a South Kordofan militia in the area of Kadugli, fighting alongside the Sudanese Army. The commander publicly declared his loyalty to the military, stating that the letter was designed to sow discord.[1]

On 27 September, the SPLM-N began a new attack on Kadugli, invading the city's Jabal Hajar al-Mak Rahal and Daraja Altalta neighbourhoods while launching artillery strikes using Katyusha rocket launchers. The assault was repelled by the local garrison,[1] but the rebels attacked again on the next day, this time targeting the Jabal Hajar al-Mak Rahal and Talo neighbourhoods.[11]