KHARTOUM – The Legal Committee of the Nuba Mountains Civil Movement accused the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) of detaining four employees of the humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse, calling for their immediate release and demanding an independent international investigation into alleged violations in Kauda and surrounding areas of South Kordofan.
In a statement issued on Aug. 9, the committee said intelligence personnel affiliated with the SPLA allegedly raided the residence of Samaritan’s Purse staff in the Kamlila area and detained four employees identified as Makrious Youssef, Jalal Kinda, Jagoud Omar, and Widad Bashir. It said the four were taken to an undisclosed location.
The committee said it was also following allegations contained in an audio recording attributed to Jagoud Mukwar Murada, SPLM-N deputy chairman and chief of staff of the SPLA, as well as testimonies from witnesses in Kauda, which it said included claims of killings, looting, house burnings, sexual violence, and forced displacement carried out by forces affiliated with the movement.
It said the allegations, if independently verified, could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity under international law, and called for a comprehensive international investigation into the reported abuses.
The committee also alleged that residents of Kauda had been forcibly displaced to the Seleri area by SPLA forces and urged investigators to determine whether the displacement formed part of a broader policy targeting civilians.
It further called for the immediate release of the four detained aid workers or, alternatively, for authorities to disclose their whereabouts, legal status and reasons for their detention, while ensuring their safety and access to legal protections.
The committee urged the United Nations, the UN Security Council, and the international community to establish an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged killings, sexual violence, forced displacement, attacks on humanitarian facilities, arbitrary detentions and other reported violations in Kauda and nearby areas.
The statement also called on the SPLM-N leadership to clarify its position regarding the allegations, disclose the fate of the detainees, and investigate any violations found to have occurred.
The SPLM-N has not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the committee’s statement.
The allegations come amid heightened tensions in SPLM-N-controlled areas of South Kordofan following internal fighting and unrest around Kauda, Heiban and neighboring areas in recent months. The movement has previously said its military operations are aimed at restoring security and maintaining order, while denying that it targets communities on an ethnic basis.
