New Sudan (territory)

New Sudan
2011–present[a]
Flag of New Sudan (territory)
Flag
Territorial control[1][2]
  Controlled by SPLM-N (al-Hilu)
  Controlled by allied Rapid Support Forces and SPLM-N (al-Hilu)
(Detailed map)
Territories held in blue in 2011 before New Sudan was used.
Territories held in blue in 2011 before New Sudan was used.
CapitalKauda, Sudan
Leader 
• 2011–2017
Malik Agar
• 2017–present
Abdelaziz al-Hilu
Chief of Staff[3] 
• 2023–present
Izzat Koko Angelo[4]
EstablishmentSudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile
History 
• Establishment
2011[5]
Population
• 2024 estimate
  • 3,900,000
    • 700,000 refugees (in the Nuba mountains)[6]

New Sudan (Arabic: السودان الجديد, romanized: al-Sūdān al-Jadīd), also known as the Liberated Areas[7][8] (Arabic: المناطق المحررة, romanized: al-Manāṭiq al-Muḥarrira) refers to the territory in Sudan under the effective control of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North (Al-Hilu). In late 2025, the SPLM-N (Al-Hilu) joined the Government of Peace and Unity; however, New Sudan still exists.[9][10][11][12]

Territorial control

The territory has been controlled by the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) since 2011.[13]

In July 2023, the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) seized several army garrisons and an oil field in South Kordofan[14] and blocked the road leading from Karkal to Kadugli. It also launched another attack in Kurmuk.[15]

In June 2024, Nicholas Casey of The New York Times was allowed in the Nuba Mountains stronghold of the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu. Casey reported that the civil war had distracted the SAF from attacking the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) and allowed the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) to go on the offensive, capturing territory "at a steady pace". It calls the territory it controls "New Sudan"; 2024 was the first time it used the term for the territories it controls. Its capital is Kauda, a farming town.[16] At least 3.9 million people live in the territory under the control of the SPLM-N.[17]

In February 2025, there were reports about a famine in the territory controlled by the SPLM-N (al-Hilu).[18]

In December 2025, the SPLM–N (al-Hilu) claimed to have retaken the town of Qardoud Nama in South Kordofan from the SAF.[19] The SAF retook the town of Mabsouta from the SPLM–N (al-Hilu), which had occupied the area since 2011.[20]

On the 3 February of 2026 both the RSF and SPLM-N (al-Hilu) seized the towns of Deim Mansour, Bashir Nuqu and Khor al-Budi near Kurmuk in Blue Nile state.[21] In the same month, the SPLM-N (Toka), another faction of the SPLM, was revealed to be active in areas held by both the RSF and the SPLM-N (Al-Hilu).[22]

Government

In 2013, the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) established a civil authority in areas under its control.[23] As of 2017, Abdelaziz al-Hilu headed the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) faction,[24] which opposed the Sudanese Armed Forces and, as a member of the Sudan Founding Alliance, supported the Rapid Support Forces' attempt to establish a parallel Government of Peace and Unity.[25] Journalist Nicholas Casey described the faction as one of the few rebel groups claiming to advocate for a Western-style democracy, noting that it has a constitution and calls for a secular state in Sudan.[26] The SPLM-N (al-Hilu) also provides public services in areas under its control, including issuing driver's licenses and birth certificates, operating a court system staffed by volunteer judges that handles cases ranging from dowry disputes to murder, and maintaining schools that teach in English.[26]

Similar territory with the name New Sudan

In 1999, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) also referred to its territory[27][28] as New Sudan, with its territory in what is now South Sudan.[29] In 2006, the term New Sudan still was used for the territory of the SPLM.[30][31]

Notes

  1. ↑ Until 2024, the term New Sudan was not used for the territories under the control of the SPLM-N (Al-Hilu).

See also

References

  1. ↑ "مناطق السيطره". Google My Maps.
  2. ↑ "Sahel". Google My Maps.
  3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20231020174352/https://sudantribune.com/article277730/
  4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20231020174352/https://sudantribune.com/article277730/
  5. ↑ "Sudan army seizes SPLM-N stronghold, advances toward key town". Sudan Tribune. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  6. ↑ "The Nuba Mountains: A Window into the Sudan Crisis". Refugees International. 22 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "A Question of Leadership: Addressing a Dangerous Crisis in Sudan's SPLM-N" (PDF).
  8. ↑ "SPILLING OVER: Conflict Dynamics in and around Sudan's Blue Nile State, 2015–19" (PDF).
  9. ↑ "Sudan Rebels Launch Parallel Govt In Nairobi On Saturday". 2025-02-23. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  10. ↑ https://sudanow-magazine.net/page.php?subId=32&Id=222
  11. ↑ "Blue Nile: From peripheral front to central battleground in the Sudan conflict". ACLED. 26 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Nuba Mountains Emerge as New Front in Sudan's Civil War". ADF. 28 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Sudan army seizes SPLM-N stronghold, advances toward key town". Sudan Tribune. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  14. ↑ "Sudan army clashes with RSF and SPLM-N El Hilu in South Kordofan". Radio Dabanga. 18 July 2023. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "SPLM-N El Hilu launches new attack in Blue Nile region and wins terrain in South Kordofan". Radio Dabanga. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  16. ↑ Casey, Nicholas; Saman, Moises (2024-08-08). "Inside the Mountain Stronghold of an Elusive Rebel Movement". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  17. ↑ "Sudan's SPLM-N rebel group declares famine in its territory".
  18. ↑ https://thearabweekly.com/surprise-rebel-alliance-seen-boosting-sudans-rsf-widening-hold-territory
  19. ↑ "SPLM-N claims recapture of South Kordofan town from Sudanese army". Sudan Tribune. 2025-12-01. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  20. ↑ "Sudan army seizes SPLM-N stronghold, advances toward key town". Sudan Tribune. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  21. ↑ "RSF and SPLM-N attack arm's positions in Blue Nile, capture strategic area". Sudan Tribune. 2026-02-03. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  22. ↑ "Drone strikes and shelling intensify in Sudan's South Kordofan, Blue Nile". Sudan Tribune. 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
  23. ↑ "Sudan: SPLM-N Issues Resolutions On the Concept of a 'New Sudan'". AllAfrica. 14 October 2013.
  24. ↑ https://sudanow-magazine.net/page.php?subId=32&Id=222
  25. ↑ Abdelaziz, Khalid (22 February 2025). "Sudan's RSF, allies sign charter to form parallel government, two signatories say". Reuters.
  26. 1 2 Casey, Nicholas (8 August 2024). "Inside the Mountain Stronghold of an Elusive Rebel Movement". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  27. ↑ Guarak, Mawut Achiecque Mach. Integration and Fragmentation of the Sudan: An African Renaissance. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2011. p. 383
  28. ↑ "The Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Liberation Army (SPLA)". Philippa Scott. August 1985.
  29. ↑ https://www.merip.org/1999/09/whats-new-in-the-new-sudan/
  30. ↑ https://sudantribune.com/article/18882
  31. ↑ https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.1080/03056244.2003.9659775
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