Mustafa Tambour (; born 24 July 1982) is the leader of an

Sudan Liberation Movement The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army ( ar, حركة تحرير السودان ''Ḥarakat Taḥrīr Al-Sūdān''; abbreviated SLM, SLA, or SLM/A) is a Sudanese rebel group active in Darfur, Sudan. It was founded as the Darfur Liberation FrontFlin ...

faction known as SLM-Tambour, which is involved in the

conflict in Darfur The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups bega ...

, supporting the

Sudanese Armed Forces The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF; ar, القوات المسلحة السودانية, Al-Quwwat al-Musallaha as-Sudaniyah) are the military forces of the Republic of the Sudan. In 2011, IISS estimated the regular forces' numbers at personnel, whil ...

(SAF) against the

Rapid Support Forces , image = Rapid Support Forces emblem.png , image_size = , caption = RSF Seal , start_date = August 2013 , dates = , country = , allegiance = , branch = , command_structure = Sudanese Armed Forces , type = Paramilitary , role = , ...

(RSF). Before the

2023 Sudan conflict An armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of Sudan began on 15 April 2023, when clashes broke out in cities, with the fighting concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. As of 27 May, at le ...

, he launched a community reconciliation initiative to stop the war in Darfur.

Early life and education

Mustafa Nasr Aldin Tambour was born on 24 July 1982 in Zalingei, Central Darfur, Sudan. He studied law at the Neelain University in 2007.

Career

Tambour survived an assassination attempt on 2 September 2017 near Zalingei by a squad of seven individuals led by two officers with the rank of lieutenant, one of whom was a member of the Special Forces of the Security Police and the other from the

(RSF). In the attempt, his mother, brother, and sister were injured.

Split from SLM

The

(SLM) faction led by Tambour split in 2018 from the SLM led by

Abdul Wahid al Nur Abdul Wahid Mohamed al Nur (also Abdel Wahid el-Nur or Abdulwahid Mohammed Nour; ar, عبد الواحد محمد نور, ''ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Muḥammad Nūr''; born in 1968) is the leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (al Nur) faction ...

, which had been fighting in Darfur since 2003. Tambour's faction signed the 2020

Juba Peace Agreement The Juba Peace Agreement, also known as the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan, or simply the Juba Agreement, is a peace agreement, with a preliminary signing on 31 August 2020, in Juba, South Sudan, by the Sudanese government, headed by Abdallah ...

in South Sudan and continued to make efforts to achieve security and stability in the country. On 12 June 2022, Tambour launched a community reconciliation initiative to stop the Darfur conflict, specifically in the states of West and South Darfur. The initiative aimed at reconciling all components and tribes of Darfur and resolving

conflicts Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

. On 3 February 2023, Tambour welcomed the visit of the Israeli delegation to Sudan. He also on 6 January 2023 affirmed that his forces are ready to engage in the security arrangements in preparation for their full integration into the

(SAF).

2023 Sudan conflict

During the

, Tambour's house in Riyadh, Khartoum was raided on 8 May 2023. On 17 July, the RSF assassinated one of his brothers, Motwakel, on the Nyala-Zalingei road. On 31 July, the SLM-Tambour faction pledged its support to the SAF in their efforts against the RSF. During the

siege of Zalingei The siege of Zalingei was a siege in the city of Zalingei, Central Darfur, Sudan, during the 2023 Sudan conflict. Siege Between 17 and 23 May 2023, the Zalingei Teaching Hospital was looted as was the Médecins Sans Frontières warehouse. Tele ...

, the capital of Central Darfur State, the SLM-Tambour inflicted casualties on the RSF paramilitary forces, killing 27 RSF, injuring 41, and capturing 14 militants.

References

{{Reflist 21st-century Sudanese politicians 1982 births Living people People from Central Darfur People of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)