Authorities in Sudan^[1]'s restive South Kordofan province have declared a month-long state of emergency following the deadly shooting of four people at a bus station on Monday.

Officials said the shooting in the provincial capital Kadugli wounded four others.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Local media reports said the victims were on their way to areas controlled by rebels of Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North when the shooting took place.

Provincial governor Moussa Gabr said the shooting was “unfortunate and bitter” and vowed that the authorities would do everything to restore security and stability in the area.

The state of emergency took effect on Monday, he said.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by veteran rebel Abdel Aziz Al Hilu^[2], controls large parts of the province, including the Nuba mountains.

It has been fighting the government for decades for what it says is a more fair distribution of national wealth and to end the monopoly on power by an Arabised Muslim elite in northern Sudan.

A ceasefire was declared between the military and the group following the 2019 fall of Sudanese leader Omar Al Bashir after 29 years in power. However, tension arose between the two sides following the derailment of the country's democratic transition by a military takeover in October 2021.

References

1. ^{^} Sudan (www.thenationalnews.com)
2. ^{^} Abdel Aziz Al Hilu (www.thenationalnews.com)