Sudanese People's Liberation Army (1983-2011)

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On the left the coat of arms of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement, on the right that of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army

The Sudan People's Liberation Army ( English Sudan People's Liberation Army , SPLA ) from 1983 by 2011, a rebel group in Sudan . Its political arm was the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement . The rebel group was absorbed into the armed forces of South Sudan in 2011 after South Sudan's independence .

history

From 1983 until his accidental death in 2005, the SPLA was headed by John Garang , a Dinka . He received scientific and military training in the USA , where he also received his doctorate. In 1991 the SPLA split into two main parties: the SPLA-Torit under John Garang, named after its former center Torit , and the SPLA-Nasir, named after the capital Nasir of the breakaway faction under Riek Machar , a Nuer , and Lam Akol , a Schilluk . Internal disagreements led to further splits and civil war between the factions.

These internal conflicts were the cause of a high number of civilian deaths, wounded and displaced persons, partly responsible for several famines and hindered the work of Operation Lifeline Sudan . In April 1997, under Riek Machar, the SPLA signed a separate peace treaty with Khartoum (Khartoum Peace Agreement, KPA) , and Machar led the South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF), allied with the Sudanese government . Taban Deng Gai, a Nuer who switched to SPLA-Nasir with Machar, became the leader of the United Democratic Sudan Forum (UDSF) political party , which had also been associated with the Sudanese government since 1996. The Equatoria Defense Force (EDF) , founded in 1995 in South Sudan , which saw the SPLA as a threat, later operated independently and only joined forces with the other groups in 2002 , has also been on the side of the government .

The SPLA under Garang remained the main rebel group in the south. Negotiations with the government to end the civil war initially remained fruitless, but in 2002 a ceasefire was reached for the Nuba Mountains . In 2003 the Machakos Agreement was concluded, a framework agreement for further negotiations. In it, the government accepted “self-determination” for South Sudan, while the SPLM abandoned the goal of abolishing Sharia law in North Sudan as well .

In February 2003, the conflict in Darfur escalated , with the approval or involvement of the SPLM. On January 9, 2005, the SPLM signed a peace treaty with the Sudanese government. This paved the way for the SPLM to take part in the government, for general elections in 2010 and for the independence referendum in South Sudan in 2011 .

Outside support

The SPLA was supported by the US Bush administration until 2008 . According to WikiLeaks publications in December 2010, correspondence between American agencies showed that the American goal was to arm the SPLA into a powerful army. US aid included direct support from arms deliveries via Kenya to training programs for the SPLA, including shooting training for soldiers.

Web links

Commons : Sudanese People's Liberation Army (1983–2011)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Horand Knaup: Hijacked gun ship. Discreet deal for a little war. Spiegel Online, December 8, 2010