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The Sudanese People's Liberation Army - North

The Sudanese People's Liberation Army North (SPLA-N) (Arabic: حركة الشعبية لتحرير السودان-الشمال Harakat Al-Sha'abi Li-Tahrir Al-Sudan-Al-Shamal) is a nationalistic resistance movement based in the Blue Nile region of Sudan. The SPLA-N IS the Armed faction of the SPLM-N which split from the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) after the South Sudanese vote for Independence in July 2011. The SPLA-N is currently in armed conflict with the Sudanese Government in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions of Sudan as part of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front.

Sudanese People's Liberation Army North
حركة الشعبية لتحرير السودان-الشمال
Image result for SPLA logo The official emblem of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army North
Leader	Malik Agar
Foundation	2011
Dates of operation	2011 (2011) – Present (Present)
Country	South Sudan
Motives	The creation of a democratic Sudan
Active regions	Sudan
Ideology	The creation of a democratic Sudan
Status	Active
Size	~3,000
Flag	Flag of South Sudan

Leadership

Chairman and Commander in Chief

Malik Agar | Malik Aggar Eyre Gandof is the current Chairman and Commander in Chief of the Sundanese Peoples Liberation Movement North as of February 2011. He also holds the position of Chairman of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) and served as the Governor of the Blue Nile region of Sudan from April 2010 until September 2011 after the Sudanese independence referendum.

Secretary General

Yassir Saeed Arman is a member of the Ja' Alin tribe and a prominent muslim figure in the SPLM since 1987. He has served as Secretary General of the SPLA since September 2011.

Senior member of the SPLA / Military head of the SRF

Abdel Aziz Adam El-Hilu is a senior member of the SPLA and the current military head of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front. He is also the former Deputy Governor of the Kordofan region and a member of the Massalit tribe.

Formation of the SPLA-N

The Sudanese People's Liberation Army North formed in 2011 as a splinter faction of the Sudanese People Liberation Army. Both groups are part of the Sudanese Peoples liberation Movement (SPLM) which formed during the second Sudanese civil war that lasted from 1986 - 2005. The SPLA-N formed after the September 1st 2011 Sudanese independence referendum when the SPLM became the new country's governing party and the SPLA became its army. The SPLA-N broke off from the SPLA to carryout military campaigns in Sudan against the Sudanese government.

Malik Agar Leader of the SPLA-N

The South Sudanese people are distinctively different from north Sudanese. While North Sudanese are of Arab decent and majority Muslim, Southern Sudanese are native Africans, and Primarily Christian. North Sudanese values are not in alignment with Africanism, native African cultural values, indigenous beliefs, and Christianity. The current war between multiple South sudanese militant groups and Sudanese government forces is a war for democratic governance and human rights with elements of religion, ethnicity, and cultural values.

The SPLA-N is of majority Dinka ethnicity and religiously christian and are in theory multi-ethnic and accepting of other backgrounds. Soldiers of the SPLA-N often go without pay and are frequently short on food, supplies, weapons and ammunition. Most military vehicles are either captured or repurposed trucks or stolen vehicles.

Background of the conflict

After the the second sudanese civil war the SPLA and their political arm, the SPLM, remained active and became South Sudan's governing political party and army in 2011. During this time the SPLA-N broke away from the SPLA to continue fighting in the Blue Nile and Kordofan regions of Sudan. War once again broke out in 2013 when South Sudanese President Salva Kiir accused Vice President Riek Machar and other government officials of attempting a coup de tau. War broke out in South Sudan between the SPLA and opposition groups like the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLA-IO). The war was primarily divided along ethnic lines between the Dinka and the Nuer. On August 26, 2015, after international involvement from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the US, UK, EU, UN, China, and Norway, a peace agreement was signed between President Silva and Riek Machar. Despite this agreement both factions continue to fight.

During this time, Sudanese government forces, (Sudanese armed forces (SAF)) once again attempted to take northern regions of South Sudan. The South Sudanese government continues to support the SPLA-N in their military activities against the Sudanese government.

As a result of the fighting it is estimated that 50,000 people have been killed and 1.6 million people have been internally displaced (often more than once) since war broke out in 2013. Additionally, it is estimated that 2.48 million people have been displace internationally and are currently seeking asylum elsewhere.

SPLA/M-N Ideology

SPLA capture T-72 Tank

The SPLA/M-N describes itself as a Sudanese national movement with the intentions of creating a democratic Sudan that would benefit all sudanese regardless of religion, gender, or ethnic back ground. Leaders of the SPLA-N are in opposition to Sudan's Sharia judicial system and find the government to be unrepresentative and oppressive of Native African values. Leaders of the armed faction of the party advocate for uniting Sudan warning that the creation of a separate nation would lead to more division and fighting.

The SPLA-N is geographically located in and operates in Sudan although they see themselves as South Sudanese. Their battle against SAF is constant and ground is won or lost frequently.

Human Rights Violations

The conflict in Sudan has been one of the longest ongoing conflicts since the second world war, killing over 2 million people from war or famine and displacing over 5 million people, often more than once. Low intensity armed conflicts between Government forces and the SPLA-N and other rebel groups continue in the Darfur, Blue Nile, and Kordofan regions of Sudan. Government forces have attacked, raped, and killed civilians, looted their villages and destroyed their property. These actions are against the rules of war and are considered violations of human rights by the United Nations. One third of the population of the Darfur region have been displaced in neighboring countries, primarily Chad. Government forces have been accused of detaining and kidnapping political activists and torturing them arbitrarily. furthermore, Government forces restrict the religious freedom of the primarily christian population and censored the media. In reaction of these human rights violations, the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.

March 9th - April 2nd 2018

Government forces killed 23 civilians and injured tens more after an attack in Eastern Jebel Marra with the SPLA-N and other rebel groups. Government forces burnt villages to the ground and raped civilians.

December 19th 2017

A 16 year old and 19 year old girl were held at gun point and raped by six armed militia men as they were gathering firewood just three kilometers from an Internally displaced persons camp. in Nertiti Town, Central Darfur state.

Violations like these are an every day occurrence.

After the cease fire between the Sudanese government and the SPLA-N , government forces have refrained from areal bombardments and mortar strikes, however, reports indicates small skirmishes between the two factions continue. Militias allied with Sudanese government forces continue to engage in property theft and kidnaping of political activists, both peaceful and militant. The continued theft is not only a violation of the ceasefire but contributes to the ongoing food insecurity in the Darfur and Blue Nile regions.

IDP camp Darfur region UN peace keeper

May 29th 2018

Mr. Hisham Ali Mohamad, a human rights activist, was detained after his deportation from Sadi Arabia at the Khartoum International Airport. Mr. Hisham is still currently being held without charges by government forces. Government forces subject detainees to torture and other ill treatments while in custody, causing the deaths of two individuals in March and April 2018.

August 2018

Two South Sudanese lawyers and members of the Darfur Bar Association were briefly detained and their passports confiscated at the Khartoum International Airport after their return from the United States to accept an award for their work on behalf of human rights in Darfur.

Repression of Women

Ms. Winnie Omar

The Sudanese government represses the human rights of women by criminalizing "indecent" dress violations. Indecent dress is sporadically enforced and is characterized as wearing pants or not covering the body decently. On December 10th, 2017, Ms. Winnie Omar and five friends were detained for wearing pants after attending a hearing between 24 women in the Kordofan region. She was charged with indecent dress and prostitution and held for five days and subjected to torture. They were threatened with "virginity testing" before being released on bail. On July 8th of 2017, an additional eight charges were added to Omar's case file. While there has been no comment on the basis of these charges it is assumed the trumped up charges are in reaction to Omar's political activism for human rights.

Noura Hussien

Noura Hussien was sentenced to death after killing her husband in self defense after he attempted to rape her with three other men for the second time. The sentence raises concerns about Sudan's gender discriminatory laws that allow forced and early marriages, marital rape, and weak protections for women under the judicial system. Hussien's sentence was later revised to a five year imprisonment and a payment of dia to her husbands family.

Restrictions on Freedom of Religion

Sudan is primarily a muslim nation and restricts South Sudanese religious freedom which is dominantly christian. On February 11th, 2018 Government forces destroyed the Sudanese Evangelical Presbyterian Church in El Haj Yousif. The church was placed on a list of 26 others to be destroyed. The list was designed by the Sudanese government in June 2016. In July 2017, the Ministry of Education in Khartoum further restricted religious freedom by only allowing church services in christian schools to be observed on Sundays.

United Nations

The United Nations Council on Human rights has taken stronger action to ensure the upholding of human rights in Sudan. At the councils 39th meeting it adopted several more elements to agenda 4 regarding human rights reforms in Sudan (see https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/sudan). The adoption of these new measures face heavy criticism and are said to not reflect the reality of the situation on the ground and have no adequate means of being enforced.