Kauda – The civil administration of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan’s Nuba Mountains accused a rival faction on Sunday of killing civilians, abducting teachers and carrying out attacks on civilian targets in Heiban County.

In a statement, the administration said the incidents occurred in Kauda and Heiban during June and alleged that the rival group was seeking to undermine stability and prevent civilians from returning to areas where security conditions had recently improved.

According to the statement, an employee of the regional finance secretariat and a secondary school student were killed on June 5 after being taken to another location. The administration also accused the group of attacking the Kauda Foq market on June 8, killing six civilians and burning and looting the market.

The statement said three instructors from the Political and Leadership Training Institute disappeared after being taken from the institute’s premises in Jabdi on June 18, adding that their whereabouts remain unknown.

The administration further accused the rival faction of killing Father Yohanna Al-Amin Narom, deputy pastor of the Catholic Church, along with two guards at the church compound on June 19, days after they had allegedly received threats.

Sudan Now could not independently verify the allegations, and no immediate response was available from the group accused in the statement.

The accusations come amid growing tensions within the SPLM-N in parts of South Kordofan, where rival factions have exchanged allegations over governance, security and political developments in areas under the movement’s control.

Since March, parts of the Nuba Mountains have witnessed internal clashes within the SPLM-N that have displaced hundreds of civilians and worsened humanitarian conditions in several affected communities.

The movement has accused some members of the Otoro community of rebellion linked to disputes over land ownership and administrative boundaries. Representatives of the community, however, have accused SPLM-N leaders of attempting to seize their land by force and have alleged that some of the disputes are linked to gold mining interests.

Civil society groups and local initiatives in the Nuba Mountains have also reported killings, arrests, enforced disappearances and other alleged abuses against civilians in recent months, calling for independent investigations and accountability.

The security situation has raised concerns as the rainy season approaches, with local groups warning that continued tensions could disrupt civilian movement, agricultural activities and humanitarian access across parts of South Kordofan.

The SPLM-N civil administration said it holds the rival group fully responsible for the incidents outlined in the statement and pledged to continue what it described as necessary measures to protect civilians, property and stability in the region.