Pro-Government Militias
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
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.