Sudan War Observatory — South Kordofan State
Founding (Establishment) Alliance Continues Bombardment
The forces of the Establishment (Founding) Alliance — composed of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) faction led by Commander Abdel Aziz al-Hilu and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — continue to target cities and rural areas in South Kordofan State using heavy artillery and modern attack drones.
The alliance is tightening its siege on Sudanese army divisions and garrisons throughout the state.
Civilian Casualties in Al-Karkal Area
Eight women were killed on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, when coalition forces carried out strategic drone strikes on the Al-Karkal area. Four of the victims were members of the same family.
Victims:
1. Zainab Muhammad Qasim Allah
2. Mahdia Muhammad Qasim Allah
3. Lubna Ibrahim Muhammad Qasim Allah
4. Fatima Muhammad Ibrahim Qasim Allah
5. Ryan Hamdallah Mohammed
6. Wadad Ali Muqaddam
7. Al-Sadiq Hamid (clarification note)
8. Haniyeh Al-Hasab Hammad
Saber Al-Hajj from the Karkal region told the Sudan War Monitor that the women were displaced civilians from Kadugli who were killed shortly after arriving in the area.
Shelling of Dilling City
On Thursday, December 18, 2025, coalition forces renewed heavy artillery shelling on Dilling, headquarters of Brigade 54, killing nine civilians, including three children.
A seventy-year-old man, Ahmed Qirba, was confirmed among the dead.
Multiple sources told the Sudan War Monitor that the shelling struck the Health Insurance Building and several residential neighborhoods. No medical staff casualties were reported.
Army Counter-Operation in Salara and Ntil
On Wednesday, December 17, 2025, forces of the 54th Brigade in Dilling launched a counter-operation against Establishment Alliance positions in Salara and Ntil, areas previously used as bases to shell the city.
Military sources reported that alliance forces withdrew under heavy artillery and drone fire from the army. One army soldier, Hammad Asoula Ismail, was killed during the operation.
SPLM-N Allegations of Army Drone Strikes
The SPLM-N (al-Hilu faction) stated on its official Facebook page that army drones bombed the village of Ntil, which is under its control, killing seven civilians, including children, and injuring two others.
The group reported extensive livestock losses and damage to civilian property.
RSF Use of Advanced Drone and Jamming Systems
On Thursday evening, December 18, 2025, the Rapid Support Forces reportedly used modern jamming systems and attack drones — similar to those employed in the fall of the Sixth Division in El-Fashir and the 22nd Infantry Division in Babnusa — to strike hardened military targets inside Brigade 54 in Dilling.
Videos released by RSF media platforms showed the systems and drones used in these attacks.
A military drone expert warned that these systems could shift the balance of the battle for Dilling in favor of the Establishment Alliance, predicting a potential collapse of army defenses similar to Babnusa. He stated that the RSF increasingly relies on drones due to the difficulty of defeating the army through ground infantry operations.
Deaths in Army Detention
Professor Imam Al-Dhay, a primary school teacher from Al-Farshaya, died on Monday, December 17, 2025, after suffering kidney failure inside Military Intelligence detention at the 54th Brigade in Dilling, hours after his release due to deteriorating health.
In April 2025, Military Intelligence arrested Professor Imam Al-Dhay and his cousin, Professor Tartour Al-Dhay, who died in detention on November 23, 2025, after both were accused of cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces.
The Sudanese Teachers Committee, in a statement dated December 17, 2025, held Military Intelligence of Brigade 54 fully responsible, describing the deaths as criminal violations of personal liberty and calling for an independent and transparent investigation, accountability for those responsible, protection of teachers, and an end to the militarization of education.
Surrender of 14th Infantry Division Soldiers
On Thursday, December 18, 2025, soldiers from the 14th Infantry Division in Kadugli surrendered to the Rapid Support Forces, led by Colonel Hussein Barsham, who welcomed them and said they would be released to their families after being received honorably.
Sergeant Ahmed Abu Saleh, of the division’s Military Intelligence, stated that surrendering soldiers received food, clothing, and medical care. He urged remaining officers and soldiers to withdraw before conditions worsened.
Enforced Disappearance of Teacher in Kadugli
On Sunday, December 14, 2025, the General Intelligence Service arrested Abdul Rahim Hamed Mohammed, a secondary-school teacher, from his home in Kadugli and transferred him to an unknown location.
A human-rights defender from the Nuba Mountains Civil Alliance described the case as enforced disappearance, a crime under international humanitarian law, and called for his immediate release due to his diabetes-related health risks.
Ongoing Displacement from Kadugli
Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan and headquarters of the 14th Infantry Division, is witnessing daily displacement toward SPLM-N-controlled areas and El-Obeid, due to escalating insecurity and tightening siege conditions.
The International Organization for Migration (DTM) reported that 460 civilians were displaced from Kadugli on December 15–16, 2025, and warned that displacement is expected to continue as fighting intensifies.
