Sudan People's Liberation Movement (northern sector)
Encyclopedia
Sudan People's Liberation Movement , also known as SPLM-North, is a banned political party in the Republic of Sudan. It is currently actively primarily in the states of Blue Nile
and South Kordofan, where its armed branch, the Southern People's Liberation Army North (SPLA-N) is engaged in an active insurgency against the government of Omar al-Bashir
and became a separate party following the establishment of the Government of South Sudan. Despite the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
, a low-level conflict continued in Sudan proper. With the independence of The Republic of South Sudan
, efforts by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
to turn Sudan into an Arab
Islamist
state and persecution of religions and ethnic minorities, violence has resumed in non-Arab areas of Sudan. Conflict with the central authorities has led al-Bashir to ban the party.
of Darfur
conducted a coordinated attack against the Sudanese army at Pisea, south of the state capital of Kadugli. In August, Radio Dabanga reported that the rebels were gaining ground against government forces. The conflict has led to the displacement of nearly 400,000 residents of the Nuba Mountains
and surrounding areas.
, which took control of large parts of the state. The conflict in the Blue Nile has raised fears of a new refugee crisis and a return to civil war.
, and presidential candidate Yasir Arman
is the secretary-general.
Blue Nile (state)
Blue Nile called Central from 1991 until 1994, is one of the 15 states of Sudan. It was established by Presidential Decree Nº3 in 1992 and is named after the Blue Nile River. It has an area of 45,844 km² and an estimated population of 1,193,293 . The Central Bureau of Statistics quoted the...
and South Kordofan, where its armed branch, the Southern People's Liberation Army North (SPLA-N) is engaged in an active insurgency against the government of Omar al-Bashir
Omar al-Bashir
Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir is the current President of Sudan and the head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister...
History
The SPLM-N was initially part of the wider Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army that was formed during the Second Sudanese Civil WarSecond 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....
and became a separate party following the establishment of the Government of South Sudan. Despite the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
Comprehensive Peace Agreement
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement , also known as the Naivasha Agreement, was a set of agreements culminating in January 2005 that were signed between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan...
, a low-level conflict continued in Sudan proper. With the independence of The Republic 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...
, efforts by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
Omar al-Bashir
Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir is the current President of Sudan and the head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister...
to turn Sudan into an Arab
Arabism
Arabism, the Arabness, of a people, of culture.For movements in the Arab world, please see: Arab nationalism, pan-Arabism, Ba'athism. It can refer to both, race or/and culture...
Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
state and persecution of religions and ethnic minorities, violence has resumed in non-Arab areas of Sudan. Conflict with the central authorities has led al-Bashir to ban the party.
South Kordofan
In 19 July 2011, shortly after the independence of South Sudan, the SPLM-N in South Kordofan and the Justice and Equality MovementJustice and Equality Movement
The Justice and Equality Movement is a rebel group involved in the Darfur conflict of Sudan, led by Khalil Ibrahim. Along with other rebel groups, such as the Sudan Liberation Movement , they are fighting against the Sudanese Government, including the government's proxy militia, the Janjaweed...
of Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
conducted a coordinated attack against the Sudanese army at Pisea, south of the state capital of Kadugli. In August, Radio Dabanga reported that the rebels were gaining ground against government forces. The conflict has led to the displacement of nearly 400,000 residents of the Nuba Mountains
Nuba Mountains
Nuba Mountains is an area located in South Kordofan, Sudan. The area is home to a group of indigenous ethnic groups known collectively as the Nuba peoples. In the 18th century, Nuba Mountains became home to the kingdom of Taqali that controlled the hills of the mountains until their defeat by...
and surrounding areas.
Blue Nile
Disputes over the rightful government of Blue Nile State, lead to a resumption of violence in late August/early September of 2011. In September and October the SPLA-N formed a government based in KurmukKurmuk
Kurmuk is a town in south-eastern Sudan near the border with Ethiopia.Kurmuk is inhabited by the Uduk and Berta peoples and is controlled by the SPLM....
, which took control of large parts of the state. The conflict in the Blue Nile has raised fears of a new refugee crisis and a return to civil war.
Aims and ideology
The party describes itself as "a Sudanese national movement that seeks to change the policies of the center in Khartoum and to build a new center for the benefit of all Sudanese people regardless of their religion, gender or ethnicity background". Since the resumption of conflict, the party has called for negotiations and a ceasefire, however some leaders of the SPLA-N have warned of a potential second partition of the Sudan.Government
The party is chaired by Malik AgarMalik Agar
Malik Agar is a Sudanese politician. In the 1990s, he was the commander of a section of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement military forces along the Sudanese-Ethiopian border south of the Blue Nile to Geissan....
, and presidential candidate Yasir Arman
Yasir Arman
Yasir Said Arman is Sudanese politician and a leading figure in the Sudan People's Liberation Movement . He was the SPLM's Deputy Secretary-General for the northern sector and its Spokesman...
is the secretary-general.
See also
- Comprehensive Peace AgreementComprehensive Peace AgreementThe Comprehensive Peace Agreement , also known as the Naivasha Agreement, was a set of agreements culminating in January 2005 that were signed between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan...
- Eastern Front (Sudan)Eastern Front (Sudan)The Eastern Front is a coalition of rebel groups operating in eastern Sudan along the border with Eritrea, particularly the states of Red Sea and Kassala. The Eastern Front's Chairman is Musa Mohamed Ahmed...
- Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West SudanAlliance of Revolutionary Forces of West SudanThe Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan was formed on January 20, 2006, when the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement merged to form a single rebel alliance in the Sudanese region of Darfur....