[1] Either way, the new civil war spurred fears among the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) that the ethnic conflicts of the previous insurgency could resurface, prompting it to mobilize and eventually take up arms against both SAF as well as RSF.

The military claimed that it had repelled the attack, while the Sudanese Air Force deployed MiGs and Sukhoi aircraft to bomb SPLM-N (al-Hilu) troops and bases around the city.

In addition, the SPLM-N attacks on Kadugli were not popular among its members due to substantial losses as well as a perceived lack of a grand strategy among the rebel leadership.

[15] SPLM-N chief of staff Izzat Koko Angelo reportedly also sent a letter to Brigadier General Kafi Tayyar Al-Badeen, calling on him to defect.

[2] On 27 September, the SPLM-N began a new attack on Kadugli, invading the city's Jabal Hajar al-Mak Rahal and Daraja Altalta neighbourhoods while launching artillery strikes using Katyusha rocket launchers.

An anonymous local community leader accused the 14th Infantry Division of organizing the murders in order to incite ethnic tensions to stabilize its own control over the area.

At this point, the siege of Kadugli was still ongoing, with SPLM-N rebels holding the countryside to the east and the RSF controlling the strategic Al-Quz area to the north.

However, the Sudanese government had reportedly agreed to a deal with the SPLM-N to allow the transport of humanitarian aid into territories controlled by both sides in South Kordofan, including Kadugli.