Artillery shelling in southern Sudan killed at least 40 people and wounded 70 others on Monday, AFP reported, citing medical sources.
The governor of South Kordofan state blamed the attack on a rebel group. The shelling hit the capital of South Kordofan, Kadugli, under the control of the Sudanese army, which has been at war with rival paramilitaries since April 2023.
A medical source at the city's main hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, told AFP that "the shelling on Kadugli killed 40 people and wounded 70 others". A second source confirmed the reports.
In a statement to AFP, the governor of South Kordofan, Mohammed Ibrahim, said the attack was carried out by a faction of the SPLM-N led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.
"Hilu's attack on civilians in Kadugli is aimed at destabilizing the area," Ibrahim said, vowing to "clear the mountains around Kadugli" of SPLM-N forces.
The governor said the target of the shelling was a market.
Hilu, whose faction controls parts of Blue Nile state, has refused to join other Sudanese rebel leaders in signing a 2020 peace deal with the government.
Hilu has also refused to talk to paramilitary leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, linking him to atrocities. The SPLM-N is clashing with both the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in parts of South Kordofan.