SUMMARY
SRF (Sudan Revolutionary Front) was established on 13 November 2011 as a coalition of the four strongest armed rebel groups from Sudan’s Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan areas. The group originally comprised of the SPLM/A – North, which operated mainly in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas, and three armed rebel groups operating in Darfur: JEM, SLM/A and SLM/A – MM. Grievances such as marginalization and discrimination motivated their rebellion. Therefore, the alliance sought to overthrow the Government of Sudan then led by President Omar al-Bashir, and establish a secular system of governance, which included reforms such as drafting a new constitution and endorsing “voluntary unity” for all regions of Sudan.
In March 2012, the SRF gained two prominent riverine political figures; Nasreldin al-Hadi al-Mahdi and Al Tom Hajo, who had been members of the National Umma Party and Democratic Unionist Party respectively. While lacking military contributions, their involvement strengthened the political profile of the SRF as they brought their supporters from amongst the national opposition movement. The United People’s Front for Liberation and Justice (UPFLJ), consisting of 17 small groups from eastern Sudan yet based mainly outside of the country, also joined later in October 2013. At first, the SRF was relatively united as an opposition group but the large number and variety of groups within the coalition increasingly led to internal friction due to political and ideological differences.
A Joint Military Command and a Leadership Council were established to lead the SRF. A yearly leadership rotation system was put in place, meant to minimize the challenge of deciding an overall leader for the SRF by consensus, although rotation order disputes prevented the limited time frame from being strictly observed. Malik Agar, Chairman of SPLM/A–North served as the first Chairman of the SRF with the other leaders serving as deputy chairmen, which included: Abdul Wahid (SLM/A), Minni Minawi (SLM/A – MM), Gibril Ibrahim (JEM), Nasreldin al-Hadi al-Mahdi and Al Tom Hajo. The SRF Leadership Council was supposed to be the highest decision-making body of the organization. However, in reality, decisions were often taken by key SRF leaders based in Kampala, Uganda without calling a full Leadership Council meeting due to financial and logistical difficulties.
SPLM/A-North held a noticeably dominant position within the SRF for several years. Since the establishment of the coalition in 2011 the SPLM/A-North had had the largest number of troops within its ranks by far when compared with the other armed rebel groups in the coalition. It was estimated that the SPLM/A-North had between 30 000 and 50 000 troops during 2011 through to 2015, while JEM, SLM/A and SLM/A – MM were estimated to have a few thousand troops between them in total. The UPFLJ and Nasreldin al-Hadi al-Mahdi faction had no military capabilities, and the group led by Al Tom Hajo only had an estimated 200 troops in the Blue Nile area in 2011. Hence the Brigadier General of SPLM/A-North came to hold the position as commander of the SRF ad hoc joint military forces. The deputy chairman of SPLM/A-North, Abdelaziz al-Hilu, was agreed upon as SRF Permanent Chief of Staff by consensus. Al-Hilu was well respected as an experienced general, and Darfuri members also felt connected to him due to his Masalit ethnicity although he grew up in South Kordofan, because the Masalit predominantly inhabit Darfur. As a result of the allocation of these positions, SPLM/A–North held the three top positions within the SRF coalition.
A dispute over the chairmanship of the alliance became visible in October 2015, when the three rebel groups based in Darfur (JEM, SLM/A and SLM/A – MM) announced that they had appointed Gibril Ibrahim (JEM), as Chairman of the SRF in replacement of Malik Agar from SPLM/A–North. Agar, which had held on to the position for several years, responded by leaving the coalition together with his troops within the SPLM/A–North.
As the SRF became involved in negotiations with the Government of Sudan in 2016, a further rift within the coalition appeared as SLM/A led by Abdul Wahid refused to sign a roadmap agreement in August 2016. Abdul Wahid later stated that the group would not take part in any negotiations with the Sudanese government until the pro-government militias in Darfur had been disarmed and the security of the population in the area had been restored. By this time SLM/A stopped taking part in SRF's coordination meetings, consequently splintering from the alliance.
During the following years, the fighting between the SRF and the Government of Sudan dropped substantially, as halting negotiations continued. Several groups joined the SRF at this time, including SLM/A - TC (SLM/A - Transitional Council) led by El Hadi Idris, as well as Malik Agar and his SPLM/A-North - MA faction (following fractionalization within the SPLM/A–North) which returned to the coalition.
As a result of the political changes that took place in Sudan ensuing to the ousting of President al-Bashir in April 2019, the peace negotiations gained new momentum. During the following months, SRF signed several peace agreements, including political roadmaps and cessation of hostilities agreements with the new Government of Sudan.
The Government of South Sudan has supported the SRF logistically, financially, politically, and with arms. For example, the SRF used refugee camps in the South Sudanese states of Unity and Upper Nile as bases for their troops and recruitment locations. This support was motivated by the hostile relations between the Government of South Sudan and the Government of Sudan; both governments supported each other’s rebel groups despite both denying such allegations. Therefore, the Government of Sudan – SRF conflict can be seen as driven by both localized grievances and a proxy war between the two governments of Sudan and South Sudan. In addition, the Government of Uganda supported the SRF by providing military training and financial support whilst the Government of Eritrea supported it by permitting SRF members to move freely within the country.
