SUMMARY
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) was a rebel group in Sudan established in 1983 under the leadership of John Garang. The movement emerged in opposition to the Government of Sudan in Khartoum during the outbreak of the Second Sudanese Civil War. SPLM/A initially sought not the secession of Southern Sudan, but the creation of a unified, secular, and socialist “New Sudan.” From its inception, however, the movement was divided over its political vision. While Garang advocated for transforming Sudan as a whole, other commanders favored abandoning the broader national agenda in favor of fighting exclusively for Southern independence.
These tensions culminated in a major split within the movement in August 1991, when senior commanders Riek Machar and Lam Akol launched an internal coup attempt against Garang’s leadership. A central issue behind the split was disagreement over the movement’s objectives, as Machar and Akol argued that SPLM/A should focus solely on the liberation and independence of Southern Sudan rather than the restructuring of the entire Sudanese state. Ethnic divisions also contributed significantly to the conflict. Garang belonged to the Dinka ethnic group, the largest community in Southern Sudan, while Machar was Nuer and Akol Shiluk, the second- and third-largest communities respectively. In announcing the split, Machar accused Garang of leading the movement in an authoritarian and dictatorial manner, alleging widespread abuses and forced recruitment within SPLM/A.
The coup attempt failed to remove Garang from leadership, but resulted in the fragmentation of the movement into rival factions. Machar became the leader of the breakaway faction known as SPLM/A (Nasir), named after Nasir in Upper Nile region near the Ethiopian border, where the faction established its headquarters. Lam Akol emerged as one of its leading commanders. SPLM/A (Nasir) was later reorganized and renamed the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF). Meanwhile, Garang retained leadership over the main SPLM/A faction, which was at times referred to as SPLM/A (Torit).
In addition to its prolonged war against the Government of Sudan, SPLM/A became heavily involved in violent intra-Southern conflicts, particularly against SSDF during the 1990s. These clashes were exceptionally destructive and, in some years, caused more fatalities than the war against Khartoum itself. The Sudanese government frequently pursued a strategy of fragmenting and supporting rival Southern factions to weaken SPLM/A, and consequently provided substantial backing to SSDF forces, which it viewed as a counterweight to Garang’s movement. SPLM/A forces were also involved in fighting against the Ugandan rebel group Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Throughout the conflict, SPLM/A forces were accused of committing abuses against civilians, including killings, forced recruitment, and other acts of one-sided violence.
Garang remained the leader of SPLM/A from its founding until his death in a helicopter crash in July 2005, shortly after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between SPLM/A and the Government of Sudan. The CPA formally ended more than two decades of civil war and granted Southern Sudan substantial autonomy. Under the agreement, Garang became First Vice President of Sudan and President of the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan. Following Garang’s death, leadership of SPLM/A passed to Salva Kiir Mayardit, who had long served as Garang’s deputy and commander within the movement. Under Kiir’s leadership, SPLM/A consolidated its control over the autonomous southern administration and guided the region through the implementation of the CPA. Following the referendum on self-determination in January 2011, Southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence, leading to the establishment of the Republic of South Sudan on 9 July 2011. After independence, SPLM/A transformed from a rebel movement into the dominant ruling party of the new South Sudanese state.
SPLM/A has been involved in the intrastate, non-state and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence.
