Forcible Recruitment Sparks Unrest in Nuba Mountains
SPLM-N and RSF bolster manpower as Kordofan becomes main war theater
Conscription campaigns by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have triggered unrest, violence, and dissent in parts of the Nuba Mountains of Sudan’s South Kordofan State.
The mass conscription coincides with a phase of increased military and political cooperation between the SPLM-N and the RSF, which together formed the Tasis Alliance and the Government of Peace and Unity. The alliance claims to be the legitimate national government of Sudan, controlling Darfur, West Kordofan, and parts of South and North Kordofan.
According to local news media reports and civil society, a group of about 70 gunmen on motorcycles, belonging to the RSF and SPLM-N, entered Tibsa village and market in Abbasiya Locality on Saturday, November 22, 2025. They rounded up hundreds of men and transported them to Moreib, an area on the northern edge of SPLM-N-controlled territory.
The Tibsa Youth Gathering accused the gunmen of killing one man who refused to comply, injuring another, looting property, and beating a child. Some of the abducted men were released after paying ransoms. The young man who was killed was identified as Yusuf Drogba, a talented local footballer.
In a statement Sunday, the youth group said,
“We in the gathering of Tibsa Youth make these facts clear to the public. We hold the Al-Hilu movement (SPLM-N) and the militias fully responsibility for what has happened and whatever may happen to our children. The kidnapped must be released immediately without conditions.”
On the same day, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency tracking displacement trends in Sudan, reported that an estimated that 645 individuals were displaced from Tibsa and Afnouri villages in Abassiya Locality, South Kordofan “due to heightened insecurity.” Individuals were reportedly displaced to various locations within Abassiya Locality.
IOM provided no further details.
In addition to Tebsa, the conscription campaign reportedly targeted Gardud Tawil, Um Ash, Hillat Din, and other areas of the northern mountains.
Operations by SPLM-N and the RSF in this part of South Kordofan have allowed them to tax travelers or block traffic on roads linking towns controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), including Abu Kershola, Um Ruwaba, and Al-Abbasiya Tagali.
Meanwhile, in the SAF-controlled Talodi region, police and military intelligence agents conducted a campaign of arrests targeting environmental activists. Ayin Network reported that residents and activists opposing the use of toxic mining chemicals, including cyanide and mercury, have come under pressure. “Local sources told Ayin the arrests intensified after deaths linked to a poisoning incident, though no official medical report has been released. The Teachers’ Alliance states that mining companies continue to use banned chemicals despite widespread public opposition.”
“Residents report that at least a dozen people have been detained, with more facing threats. Authorities opened criminal cases under Article 61, usually used for armed-group charges. Activists warn tensions will escalate if the government continues to ignore demands for safer mining practices.”