SUMMARY
Fighting between SPLM/A (Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army) and SPLM/A-WN (Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army - William Nyuon faction) can be traced to the origins of SPLM/A-WN as a splinter group of SPLM/A .
As such, on 27 September 1992, William Nyuon, then number three in the SPLM/A hierarchy, initiated a coup against John Garang, SPLM/A's leader. Nyuon accused Garang of dictatorial tendencies and an unwillingness to make any compromises in order to bring back Riek Machar and his SPLM/A (Nasir) faction in order to restore SPLM/A's unity. Nyuon apparently based his strength on troops directly under his command, and on a promise of help put forward by Machar (the so-called ‘blockbusters’). However, since Machar’s troops did not manage to arrive in time to the scene of the confrontation, Garang managed to maintain control and ambush Nyuon.
Nyuon, and a contingent of troops loyal to him, managed to escape the ambush and fled for Magwi in order to meet with Machar’s troops. He clashed with various SPLM/A units loyal to Garang in the process. By late November, Machar’s SPLM/A (Nasir) and Nyuon’s SPLM/A-WN joined forces, forging an alliance against SPLM/A. This alliance would conclude in the absorption o fSPLM/A-WN in the SPLM/A (Nasir) by the middle of 1993.
Both parties resorted to similar tactics, as both groups were organized according to similar principles – SPLM/A-WN being constituted of entire SPLM/A fighting groups that chose to separate from Garang’s SPLM/A. Further, both groups had access to heavy infantry weaponry, as heavy machine-guns, mortars, tactical armored vehicles as well as other armaments. As a result, highly organized strategic ambushes were common; similarly common were clashes and battles between large forces (hundreds of fighters on both sides) involving mortar shelling.
At all times during the fighting, SPLM/A was larger than SPLM/A-WN . Further, while at the beginning of the conflict SPLM/A seemed to lose ground in front of multiple enemies (the Government of Sudan, SPLM/A (Nasir), SPLM/A-WN etc.), by 1993, SPLM/A recovered and entered, once again, on the offensive.
The conflict between SPLM/A and SPLM/A-WN was waged mainly in Eastern Equatoria and Jonglei, with notable battles taking place in or around towns such as Bor, Kongor, Nimule, Torit and Magwi.
The non-state conflict between SPLM/A and SPLM/A-WN is first included in UCDP data in 1992. By December that year, fighting between the two factions had resulted in at least 40 battle-related deaths.
