Pro-Government Militias

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Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army - United (SPLM/A-United) (Sudan)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: no
PGM ID Number: 265
Country: Sudan
Date formed: March 27, 1993
    Accuracy of date formed: day
Details of Formation: On March 27, 1993, the SPLM/A-Nasir merged their forces with the forces of former rebel leader Kerubino Kwanyin Bol and Wiliam Nyuon Bany (Human Rights Watch 2003). The resulting group was called SPLM/A-United and was first announced at a press conference in Nairobi on April 5, 1993.
Date dissolved: Aug. 26, 1994
    Accuracy of date dissolved: day
Details of Termination: In 1994, the SPLM/A-United slowly disintegrated. In February, Lam Akol was expulsed from the group. In July, Commander Arok Thuon Arok also quit the group. In August 1994, government forces attacked the SPLM/A-United, evidencing that it ceased to support that group. After government defection, the group splintered further. Riek Machar renamed his part of the group Southern Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM). Commanders William Nyuon Beny and Kerubino Kuuanyin Bol became part of the government’s coalition against the SPLA. Kerubino called his faction Sudan People's Liberation Army - Bahr el Ghazal Group (cf. separate PGM entry). Lam Akol later called his factions SPLM/A-United (coded as separate PGM, SPLM/A-United Lam Akol), but only after the actual SPLM/A-United had ceased to exist.
Termination Type(s): government defects

Former and Successor Group Information

Predecessor group(s): Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army - Nasir Faction (SPLM/A-Nasir)
Successor group(s): Sudan People's Liberation Army - Bahr el Ghazal Group (SPLA Bahr el Ghazal)
Private Military Company? no
Former Group? yes
    Former Armed Group? yes
Former Rebel Group? no
    Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: none
PGM Becomes Rebel Group? no
    Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: none

Government Relation, Support, and Training

Government Relation: informal (type 1)
Created by the Government?: no
    Main Creating Government Institution: none
Government Link(s): state (institution)
    If link to party, name of party: None
Training and Equipment: yes
Shared Information and Joint Operations: no
Shared Personnel: no
Type(s) of Material Support: domestic government
State Sponsor(s): none
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: ethnic; former rebels
Primary Membership: ethnic
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: Southern Sudan (Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile, Unity, Bahr el Ghazal)
Force Strength: [unknown, unknown]
Target(s): rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; ethnic group; regular military force
Purpose(s): intimidation of ethnic/religious groups; fight insurgents

Ethnic Characteristics

Ethnic Target(s): Dinka (Sudan)
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: inferred
Ethnic Membership: Nuer (Sudan); Dinka (Sudan); Shilluk (Sudan)
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: given
Ethnic Purpose: Dinka (Sudan)
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: inferred

Other Information

Other Information: All parties making up this joint group split from Garang and fought his SPLA group, therefore ethnicity of target coded as Dinka. The SPLM/A-United was predominantly Nuer (Machar’s faction) and Shilluk (Lam Akol’s faction). The headquarters of the SPLM/A-United were in Waat.

New Variables from Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Purpose: The main purpose of the SPLM/A-United was to fight the SPLA rebels of John Garang.
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use unknown

Treatment of Civilians

Treatment of Civilians:
Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: unknown

Reasons for Membership

PGM Members Coerced? no information
PGM Members Paid? no information
Reasons for Membership:
PGM Members Killed? sometimes

PGM Size

Size:

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: The SPLM/A-United received weapons from the Sudanese government, including small arms, ammunition and 105mm artillery pieces.

Organisation

Organisation: The main leaders of the SPLM/A-United, in descending order of importance, were Riak Machar, Kerubino Kwanyin Bol, William Nyuon Bany and Arok Thuon Arok. Lam Akol had been a commander until he was sacked in February 1994. Since its formation, the SPLM/A-United met with government representatives for talks. The government in Khartoum supplied the SPLM/A-United not only with weapons, but also with money.

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Human Rights Watch. 2003. “Sudan, Oil and Human Rights.” ISBN: 1564322912

Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD

Evidence