KADUGLI – The Justice Committee said intelligence officers affiliated with the SPLM-North had detained 10 humanitarian workers in South Kordofan, amid deepening insecurity and internal tensions in areas controlled by the movement in the Nuba Mountains.

The committee said four employees of the U.S. relief organization Samaritan’s Purse were arrested on August 8 from staff accommodation in Kamlila, an area under SPLM-N control. It named them as Makarios Yousif, Jalal Kinda, Jaqoud Omer and Widad Bashir.

It said six other humanitarian workers were detained two days later in Kauda, including three staff members of Answer the Call — John Omer, Mazza Younis and Al-Najah Koko — as well as Dr. Mirghani Adam and Akhnoukh Ramadan from Samaritan’s Purse, and Nasri Musa from the International Rescue Committee.

According to the committee, all 10 were taken to unknown locations, with no information provided about the reasons for their detention or their legal status.

The Justice Committee called for the immediate disclosure of their whereabouts, guarantees for their safety, access to their families and legal representatives, and their release unless specific charges are brought through procedures that ensure the right to a fair trial.

It also urged respect for humanitarian work and protection for aid workers from arbitrary detention and other violations affecting their safety and rights.

The reported detentions come amid a fragile security situation in the Nuba Mountains, where SPLM-N-controlled areas have witnessed growing internal disputes, armed tensions and allegations of abuses since early 2026.

The SPLM-N, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, controls parts of South Kordofan and has remained outside several national peace arrangements. Although the movement has not been a direct party to the main war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the same way as the two principal belligerents, fighting and instability in its areas have increased as Sudan’s broader conflict spreads across Kordofan and Blue Nile.

In recent months, tensions inside SPLM-N-held areas have intensified following disputes involving local communities, field commanders and civilian authorities. Areas around Kauda, Heiban and nearby villages have seen clashes, displacement, accusations of village burnings and looting, and disagreements over land, local authority and resource control.

The movement has previously said its security operations target armed mutineers rather than specific communities, but local rights groups and activists have accused SPLM-N security organs of arbitrary arrests, restrictions on civilians and intimidation of humanitarian workers.

South Kordofan is also facing worsening humanitarian needs as conflict, isolation, poor road access and insecurity make aid delivery difficult. Humanitarian organizations operating in SPLM-N-held areas often provide critical health, food, nutrition and emergency services to communities with limited access to government institutions or international relief routes.

The detention of aid workers, if confirmed, could further disrupt humanitarian operations in an area already affected by displacement, food shortages and limited medical services.

Sudan Now could not independently verify the committee’s account, and the SPLM-N had not issued an immediate public comment on the reported detentions.