Sudan People's Liberation Army
Encyclopedia
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) is a political party in South Sudan
. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA)estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War
against the Sudanese government from 1983 to 2005. In 1989, it joined the main opposition group in Sudan, the National Democratic Alliance
(NDA), which in January 2005 signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement with the Sudanese government. SPLA/M has since had representatives in the Government of Sudan
, and was the main constituent of the Government
of the then semi-autonomous Southern Sudan. South Sudan
became a sovereign state on 9 July 2011.
It was led by John Garang
until his death on 30 July 2005. It is now led by Salva Kiir Mayardit
who is also the President of Southern Sudan and Vice President of Sudan. In 2007, Gen. Dominic Dim Deng
, a prominent General, was appointed Minister for SPLA Affairs. The first political leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Gen. Dominic Dim Deng
, his wife and 21 other senior Officers, including senior SPLM official Dr. Justin Yac Arop, died in a plane incident on 2 May 2008. He was buried together with his wife, after a full state ceremony, at the SPLA General Headquarters in Juba.
According to Mennan, the Dinka tribe—who formed the core leadership of the SPLA, the signatory of the CPA—dominate the Government of Southern Sudan.'
The SPLM was established on 16 May 1983, and published a manifesto setting out its positions. Joseph Oduho
was made chairman and Colonel John Garang
, a Dinka army officer, was made commander of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Later Oduho was deposed by Garang, who made himself leader of the SPLA/M.
The SPLA/M as a rebel group was formed in 1983, after the Sudan government's abandonment of the Addis Ababa agreement signed between the Gaafar Nimeiry
government and the Anyanya
leader Joseph Lagu
who first introduced the Southern Sudanese to the effective political, economic, social, educational, and religious situations they would face after Sudan's independence. Accordingly he started the SPLA/M, which was a group of rebellious south Sudanese soldiers of the Sudanese Army based in Bor
, Pochalla, and Ayod
(first called the Bor Mutiny). These joined remnants of the Anyanya rebels of the First Sudanese Civil War
based in Ethiopia.
Founders of the SPLA included Captain Salva Kiir Mayardit
, Samuel AbuJohn Khabas, Major William Nyuon Bany, Major Kerubino Kuanyin Bol and many other South Sudanese officers of the Sudan armed forces. It fought against the governments of Gaafar Nimeiry
, Sadiq al-Mahdi
and Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir in what is now called the Second Sudanese Civil War
. SPLA/M's declared aim was to establish a democratic Sudan with it as the leading party in control of the southern areas. The war has been largely described in religious
and ethnic
terms, and also as a struggle for control of the water and oil resources located in southern and western Sudan.
In early 1991, the SPLA-Nasir
faction led by Dr Riek Machar
and Dr Lam Akol
attempted to overthrow chairman Garang. The attempt failed but led to widespread fighting in the south and the formation of other rebel groups, such as Kerubino Kwanyin Bol's SPLA Bahr-al-Ghazal faction. These internal divisions hampered negotiations with the government. SPLA-Nasir renamed itself SPLA-United and then transformed itself, with substantial personnel changes, into the South Sudan Independence Movement/Army. Several smaller factions signed the Khartoum Peace Agreement
with the government in April 1997 and formed the United Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF).
In July 1992, a government offensive seized southern Sudan, and captured the SPLA headquarters in Torit
.
In 2004, a year before the peace deal, the Coalition to Stop Child Soldiers, estimated that there were between 2,500 and 5,000 children serving in the SPLA.
The Sudanese government accused Uganda and Eritrea of supporting the SPLA/M. The group is alleged to have operated on the Ugandan side of the Sudanese border with Uganda at the southern limit of Sudan.
In 2005, a treaty between the SPLA/M and the Sudanese government led to the formal recognition of Southern Sudanese autonomy. The political wing, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (Al-Harakat Ash-Shaabia Le Tahreer As-Sudan), is now a political party. It joined the government as part of the 2005 peace agreement, gaining about one-third of government positions. On 11 October 2007, the SPLM withdrew from the government, alleging violations of the peace agreement; this raised concerns about the future of the agreement.
A 2008 US diplomatic cable concerning the reaction to the seizure of MV Faina
by pirates, along with its cargo of T-72 tanks, anti-aircraft guns and other heavy armaments, describes as a 'poorly-kept secret' the fact that the weapons' original destination was to be not Kenya but South Sudan. A 2009 cable highlights how the Kenyan government was 'understandably confused' by the US reaction and threats of sanctions against Kenya if the shipment were to proceed, since 'past transfers had been undertaken in consultation with the United States' and 'dove-tailed' with US aims to convert the SPLA from a guerrilla force into a small conventional army capable of defending Juba, and in addition the US is 'continuing military to military security sector reform assistance to the SPLA'.
Richard Rands writes that:
Following independence in 2011, the SPLA will form the core of the armed forces of South Sudan
.
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army
Sudan People's Liberation Army
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War against the Sudanese...
(SPLA)estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
against the Sudanese government from 1983 to 2005. In 1989, it joined the main opposition group in Sudan, the National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (Sudan)
The National Democratic Alliance is a group of 13 political parties that formed in 1989 to oppose the new regime of Omar Hassan al-Bashir after he seized power in a military coup on June 6, 1989. The NDA signed a deal with the Sudanese government on June 18, 2005, following a peace agreement to...
(NDA), which in January 2005 signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement with the Sudanese government. SPLA/M has since had representatives in the Government of Sudan
Politics of Sudan
Officially, the politics of Sudan takes place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic consociationalist republic, where the President of Sudan is Head of State, Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces in a multi-party system...
, and was the main constituent of the Government
Politics of Southern Sudan
The politics of South Sudan concern the system of government in the Republic of South Sudan, a country in East Africa, and the people, organisations, and events involved in it.-History:...
of the then semi-autonomous Southern Sudan. South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
became a sovereign state on 9 July 2011.
It was led by John Garang
John Garang
John Garang de Mabior was a Sudanese politician and rebel leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War, and following a peace agreement he briefly served as First Vice President of Sudan from January 2005 until he died in a July 2005...
until his death on 30 July 2005. It is now led by Salva Kiir Mayardit
Salva Kiir Mayardit
Salva Kiir Mayardit is the first President of the Republic of South Sudan.-Sudanese civil wars:In the late 1960s, Kiir joined the Anyanya in the First Sudanese Civil War. By the time of the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, he was a low-ranking officer...
who is also the President of Southern Sudan and Vice President of Sudan. In 2007, Gen. Dominic Dim Deng
Dominic Dim Deng
Dominic Dim Deng was a senior member of Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, a prominent military General and the first Defence Minister in the Government of Southern Sudan who lost his life alongside his wife Madam Josephine Apieu Jenaro Aken, senior politician Dr...
, a prominent General, was appointed Minister for SPLA Affairs. The first political leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Gen. Dominic Dim Deng
Dominic Dim Deng
Dominic Dim Deng was a senior member of Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, a prominent military General and the first Defence Minister in the Government of Southern Sudan who lost his life alongside his wife Madam Josephine Apieu Jenaro Aken, senior politician Dr...
, his wife and 21 other senior Officers, including senior SPLM official Dr. Justin Yac Arop, died in a plane incident on 2 May 2008. He was buried together with his wife, after a full state ceremony, at the SPLA General Headquarters in Juba.
According to Mennan, the Dinka tribe—who formed the core leadership of the SPLA, the signatory of the CPA—dominate the Government of Southern Sudan.'
History
Joseph Oduho
Joseph Oduho Haworu was a leading politician from South Sudan who was active in the struggle for independence and a founding member of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement .-Early years 1929-1960:...
was made chairman and Colonel John Garang
John Garang
John Garang de Mabior was a Sudanese politician and rebel leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War, and following a peace agreement he briefly served as First Vice President of Sudan from January 2005 until he died in a July 2005...
, a Dinka army officer, was made commander of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Later Oduho was deposed by Garang, who made himself leader of the SPLA/M.
The SPLA/M as a rebel group was formed in 1983, after the Sudan government's abandonment of the Addis Ababa agreement signed between the Gaafar Nimeiry
Gaafar Nimeiry
Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry was the Nubian President of Sudan from 1969 to 1985...
government and the Anyanya
Anyanya
The Anyanya were a southern Sudanese separatist rebel army formed during the First Sudanese Civil War . A separate movement that rose during the Second Sudanese Civil War were, in turn, called Anyanya II...
leader Joseph Lagu
Joseph Lagu
Joseph Lagu is a South Sudanese military man and politician...
who first introduced the Southern Sudanese to the effective political, economic, social, educational, and religious situations they would face after Sudan's independence. Accordingly he started the SPLA/M, which was a group of rebellious south Sudanese soldiers of the Sudanese Army based in Bor
Bor, Sudan
-Location:The town of Bor is located in Bor South County, Jonglei State, in central South Sudan, approximately , by road, north of Juba, the capital and largest city in that country. The town is located on the east bank of the White Nile...
, Pochalla, and Ayod
Ayod
Ayod is a community in Jonglei state, South Sudan, headquarters of Ayod County.The Nuer people are the main inhabitants.Riek Machar, first vice-president of South Sudan, is the 26th son of the chief of both Ayod and Leer....
(first called the Bor Mutiny). These joined remnants of the Anyanya rebels of the First Sudanese Civil War
First Sudanese Civil War
The First Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1955 to 1972 between the northern part of Sudan and the southern Sudan region that demanded representation and more regional autonomy...
based in Ethiopia.
Founders of the SPLA included Captain Salva Kiir Mayardit
Salva Kiir Mayardit
Salva Kiir Mayardit is the first President of the Republic of South Sudan.-Sudanese civil wars:In the late 1960s, Kiir joined the Anyanya in the First Sudanese Civil War. By the time of the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, he was a low-ranking officer...
, Samuel AbuJohn Khabas, Major William Nyuon Bany, Major Kerubino Kuanyin Bol and many other South Sudanese officers of the Sudan armed forces. It fought against the governments of Gaafar Nimeiry
Gaafar Nimeiry
Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry was the Nubian President of Sudan from 1969 to 1985...
, Sadiq al-Mahdi
Sadiq al-Mahdi
Sadiq al-Mahdi is a Sudanese political and religious figure...
and Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir in what is now called the Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
. SPLA/M's declared aim was to establish a democratic Sudan with it as the leading party in control of the southern areas. The war has been largely described in religious
Religious war
A religious war; Latin: bellum sacrum; is a war caused by, or justified by, religious differences. It can involve one state with an established religion against another state with a different religion or a different sect within the same religion, or a religiously motivated group attempting to...
and ethnic
Ethnic war
An ethnic conflict or ethnic war is a conflict between ethnic groups often as a result of ethnic nationalism. They are of interest because of the apparent prevalence since the Cold War and because they frequently result in war crimes such as genocide...
terms, and also as a struggle for control of the water and oil resources located in southern and western Sudan.
In early 1991, the SPLA-Nasir
SPLA-Nasir
The SPLA-Nasir was a splinter faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Army , a rebel group that fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War. Originally created as an attempt by Nuer Tribe to replace SPLA leader John Garang in August 1991, it gradually became coopted by the government...
faction led by Dr Riek Machar
Riek Machar
Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon , is the first vice-president of the independent Republic of South Sudan.Riek Machar obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1984 and then joined the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War...
and Dr Lam Akol
Lam Akol
Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin is a South Sudanese politician of Kenyan descent. He is the current leader of SPLM for Democratic Change , which he founded 6 June 2009...
attempted to overthrow chairman Garang. The attempt failed but led to widespread fighting in the south and the formation of other rebel groups, such as Kerubino Kwanyin Bol's SPLA Bahr-al-Ghazal faction. These internal divisions hampered negotiations with the government. SPLA-Nasir renamed itself SPLA-United and then transformed itself, with substantial personnel changes, into the South Sudan Independence Movement/Army. Several smaller factions signed the Khartoum Peace Agreement
Khartoum Peace Agreement of 1997
The Khartoum Peace Agreement of 1997 was an agreement made on 21 April 1997 between the Khartoum-based government of Sudan and various militia leaders from South Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War ....
with the government in April 1997 and formed the United Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF).
In July 1992, a government offensive seized southern Sudan, and captured the SPLA headquarters in Torit
Torit
-Location:The town is located in Torit County, Eastern Equatoria State, in the southeastern part of South Sudan, close to the International border with the Republic of Uganda. Its location lies approximately , by road, east of Juba, the capital and largest city in that country...
.
In 2004, a year before the peace deal, the Coalition to Stop Child Soldiers, estimated that there were between 2,500 and 5,000 children serving in the SPLA.
The Sudanese government accused Uganda and Eritrea of supporting the SPLA/M. The group is alleged to have operated on the Ugandan side of the Sudanese border with Uganda at the southern limit of Sudan.
In 2005, a treaty between the SPLA/M and the Sudanese government led to the formal recognition of Southern Sudanese autonomy. The political wing, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (Al-Harakat Ash-Shaabia Le Tahreer As-Sudan), is now a political party. It joined the government as part of the 2005 peace agreement, gaining about one-third of government positions. On 11 October 2007, the SPLM withdrew from the government, alleging violations of the peace agreement; this raised concerns about the future of the agreement.
A 2008 US diplomatic cable concerning the reaction to the seizure of MV Faina
MV Faina
The MV Faina is a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship operated by a Ukrainian company that sails under a Belize flag of convenience.The Faina is owned by Waterlux AG, based in Panama City, and managed by Tomex Team in Odessa, Ukraine....
by pirates, along with its cargo of T-72 tanks, anti-aircraft guns and other heavy armaments, describes as a 'poorly-kept secret' the fact that the weapons' original destination was to be not Kenya but South Sudan. A 2009 cable highlights how the Kenyan government was 'understandably confused' by the US reaction and threats of sanctions against Kenya if the shipment were to proceed, since 'past transfers had been undertaken in consultation with the United States' and 'dove-tailed' with US aims to convert the SPLA from a guerrilla force into a small conventional army capable of defending Juba, and in addition the US is 'continuing military to military security sector reform assistance to the SPLA'.
Richard Rands writes that:
- The SPLA is increasingly vulnerable when faced with multiple threats and challenges throughout the South. Recently, it has been threatened by militia leaders such as George AthorGeorge AthorGeorge Athor Deng, who holds the Sudan People's Liberation Army rank of Lieutenant General, is a SPLA dissident and also a former unsuccessful 'independent' candidate for the leadership of Jonglei State, Sudan. Jonglei State is one of the more influential states in South Sudan...
Deng, David Yauyau [both in Jonglei State] and Gatluak Gai; concurrently, the force is dealing with Lord's Resistance ArmyLord's Resistance ArmyThe Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...
threats in Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal. If there were to be a threat of proxy forces along the border areas and major issues with white army militias, or if there were dissent in any of the units, its capacity to manage the army effectively could easily be compromised.
Following independence in 2011, the SPLA will form the core of the armed forces of South Sudan
Armed forces of South Sudan
The South Sudan Armed Forces is duly constituted at Part 10, Chapter 1 of the South Sudanese constitution. It currently primarily consists of the Sudan People's Liberation Army , which was previously the armed wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and is in the process of becoming a...
.
Further reading
- SPLM/SPLA: The Nasir Declaration Lam Akol, iUniverse, In August 1991, three members of the SPLM/SPLA Political-military High Command made the Nasir Declaration. This led to the split of the Movement. One of the leaders of the move(many say, THE ringleader) gives an account of the events that led to this momentous event in the SPLM/SPLA history, the developments that followed, what went wrong in the process, how the move affected Sudanese politics and the way forward for South Sudan., $26.95, PB ISBN 13: (978-0-595-28459-7) 2003 (Description from 2009 American Library AssociationAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
annual conference book listing.)
- What Is the What: (2006) The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers based on the real life story of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese refugee and member of the Lost Boys of Sudan program
External links
- Official website of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army
- Federation of American Scientists page
- State Department archive on Sudan Project before January 2001
- Description of SPLA/M from pro-rebel bias.
- Garang's Death: Implications for Peace in Sudan by the International Crisis GroupInternational Crisis GroupThe International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts around the world through field-based analyses and high-level advocacy.-History:...
, 9 August 2005 (PDF) - Sudan Photographic Exhibition – Documentary photographer's images of Sudan's displaced