The Rashaida Free Lions ( ar, al-usud al-hurra, الأسود الحُرة) are an armed group of the
Rashaida people
The Rashaida () is an ethnic group inhabiting the coastal plain from Massawa in Eritrea to the border with eastern Sudan. They are descended from Arabs (descended from Banu Abs) who fled from the Hejaz in present-day Saudi Arabia after tribal war ...
that was active in the eastern regions of
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. The Free Lions were formed in November 1999 by
Mabrouk Mubarak Salim Mabrouk Mubarak Salim is Sudan's current State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Roads; he was appointed to that position May 2007. He was also the founding member of the Sudanese Free Lions, an armed group composed of Rashaida. He is als ...
.
While the political grievances articulated by the Free Lions, like those of their allies the
Beja Congress
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, revolve around the effects of large mechanized agricultural schemes upon traditional life, the act which mobilized the Rashaida into action was the government confiscation of 400 vehicles the government of
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
had given them in thanks for their political support during the 1991
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. The Rashaida had immigrated from
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
only in the late 19th century and have extensive family ties with Kuwait.
In March 2005, the Free Lions agreed to an alliance with the larger Beja Congress under the
Eastern Front umbrella. Although the Eastern Front later was joined by the
Justice and Equality Movement
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM; ar, حركة العدل والمساواة, ') is an opposition group in Sudan founded by Khalil Ibrahim. Gibril Ibrahim has led the group since January 2012 after the death of Khalil, his brother, in Dec ...
, the Free Lions never gained a wide base of support amongst their people, and relied on their skill as businessmen and smugglers—as well as
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
n support—to fund their activities.
[Young, ''The Eastern Front'', pp. 28f] In the end, their ties to Kuwaiti parliamentarians played a large role in mediating the October 2006 peace agreement between the Eastern Front and the Sudanese government.
References
External links
"Sudan: Saving Peace in the East" International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on global ...
, 5 January 2006, pp. 17–18
History of Sudan
Politics of Sudan
Rebel groups in Sudan
{{Sudan-stub