The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army ( ar, حركة تحرير السودان ''Ḥarakat Taḥrīr Al-Sūdān'';
abbreviated
An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
SLM, SLA, or SLM/A) is a
Sudanese rebel group active in
Darfur,
Sudan. It was founded as the Darfur Liberation Front
[Flint, Julie and De Waal, Alexander (2008) ''Darfur: A New History of a Long War'' Zed Books, London, p. 90, ] by members of three indigenous ethnic groups in
Darfur: the
Fur
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
, the
Zaghawa, and the
Masalit The Masalit (Masalit language, Masalit: ''masala/masara''; ar, ماساليت) are an ethnic group inhabiting western Sudan and eastern Chad. They speak the Masalit language
Overview
The Masalit primarily live in Geneina, the capital of west Darfu ...
,
among whom were the leaders
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 ...
of the Fur and
Minni Minnawi
Suliman Arcua Minnawi ( ar, سليمان أركو مناوي), known as "Minni Minnawi" (; born December 12, 1968 in Furawiyya, North Darfur), is a Sudanese politician who was the leader of the largest faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army. A ...
of the Zaghawa.
Formation
General
Omar al-Bashir and the National Islamic Front headed by Dr.
Hassan al-Turabi overthrew the Sudanese government led by
Ahmed al-Mirghani
Ahmad Ali Al-Mirghani ( ar, أحمد الميرغني; 16 August 1942 – 2 November 2008) was the 6th President of Sudan from May 6, 1986, to June 30, 1989, when the democratically elected government was overthrown by a military coup led by ...
in 1989. A large section of the population in Darfur, particularly the non-Arab ethnicities in the region, became increasingly marginalized. These feelings were crystallized by the publication in 2000 of ''
The Black Book'', which detailed the structural inequity in the Sudan that denies non-Arabs equal justice and power sharing. In 2002
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 ...
, a lawyer,
Ahmad Abdel Shafi Bassey, an education student, and a third man founded the Darfur Liberation Front, which subsequently evolved into the Sudan Liberation Movement and claimed to represent all of the oppressed in the Sudan.
2008 Sun Air hijacking
In August 2008, a local
Sun Air Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
carrying 100 passengers including 5 crew members, was hijacked by members belonging to the Sudan Liberation Movement or SLM. The regional flight operated by the private Sudanese airlines Sun Air was enroute from Nyala, South Darfur to Khartoum when it was diverted by the Darfuri rebels to the oasis town of
Kufra
Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and oasis group in the Kufra District of southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. At the end of nineteenth century Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in ...
, in the far south of Libya. SLM leader
Abdelwahid al-Nur who lived in Paris at the time, denied his involvement in the hijacking and condemned the rebels' use of hijacking to bring attention to their cause. SLA field commander Ibrahim al-Hillo suggested the Boeing hijackers could be al-Nur sympathizers as the SLA had started to break up at the time of hijacking. The 95 passengers were eventually freed unharmed and the 5 crew members were also released. Al Nur said of the hijacking that Khartoum was attempting to manipulate the hijacking news as a tactic to draw attention away from the government's earlier attack on the
Kalma refugee camp which killed 70 civilians. Kalma camp is located near the Nyala airport. The hijackers were detained by Libyan authorities. While the government attack occurred close to the hijacking, it didn't appear to be a motive for the hijacking.
Libyan involvement
Before the overthrow of
Muammar Gaddafi during the
Libyan Civil War (2011), the
Libyan Armed Forces were known to support at least parts of the SLM/A, such as the SLA-Unity.
In turn, elements of the SLM/A reportedly became involved in the
Second Libyan Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Second Libyan Civil War
, partof = the Arab Winter, Libyan Crisis, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, War on terror, and Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomatic conflict
, image ...
, fighting for different factions there in exchange for money and equipment. The SLM/A-Minnawi allied itself with the
Khalifa Haftar
Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, Ḵalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LN ...
-aligned
Libyan National Army
The Libyan National Army (LNA; ar, الجيش الوطني الليبي, ''al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii'') is a component of Libya's military forces which were nominally a unified national force under the command of Field Marshal Khalifa ...
(LNA), and fought alongside it in the
Battle of Derna (2018–2019)
The Battle of Derna was a military campaign by the Libyan National Army to recapture the city of Derna from the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna, which lasted from 7 May 2018 until 12 February 2019. The majority of military operations conc ...
, losing several fighters in combat for the town. On 12 January 2019, SLM/A-Minnawi clashed with the
Chadian
CCMSR rebel group (an enemy of the LNA) at Gatroun in southern Libya. Later that month, the SLM/A was accused by the CCMSR of aiding a
LNA offensive in southern Libya.
Groups and factions
Main factions
In 2006, the Sudan Liberation Movement split into two main factions, divided on the issue of the Darfur Peace Agreement:
* Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (Minnawi) (abbreviated SLM (Minnawi) or SLA-MM) - this group is led by
Minni Minnawi
Suliman Arcua Minnawi ( ar, سليمان أركو مناوي), known as "Minni Minnawi" (; born December 12, 1968 in Furawiyya, North Darfur), is a Sudanese politician who was the leader of the largest faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army. A ...
and signed the 2006 (Abuja)
Darfur Peace Agreement
The Darfur Peace Agreement may refer to one of three peace agreements that were signed by the Government of Sudan and Darfur-based rebel groups in 2006, 2011 and 2020 with the intention of ending the Darfur Conflict.
Abuja Agreement (2006)
Th2006 ...
in May 2006. Minnawi served as the Chairperson of the
Transitional Darfur Regional Authority from its formation in 2007 to his dismissal in December 2010. The SLM-Minnawi faction formally withdrew from the peace agreement in February 2011. Unlike most other SPLM/A factions, SLA-MM was active not just in Darfur, but also took part in the
Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile
The Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile is an armed conflict in the Sudanese southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile between the Sudanese Army (SAF) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a northern affilia ...
. The group has also taken part in the
South Sudanese Civil War
The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013, President Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d'état. ...
, fighting for the South Sudanese government against various rebel factions. SLM-Minnawi was a participant in the 2019
Sudanese peace process
The Sudanese peace process consists of meetings, written agreements and actions that aim to resolve the War in Darfur, the Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile (the ''Two Areas''), and armed conflicts in central, northern and easte ...
.
*Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (al-Nur) (abbreviated SLM (al-Nur), SLM-AW,
and SLA-AW) - this group was formed in 2006 and is 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 ...
. It rejected the 2006 (Abuja) Darfur Peace Agreement. The SLM/A (al-Nur) does not officially insist on independence. The group includes both male as well as female fighters.
The group has also taken part in the
South Sudanese Civil War
The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013, President Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d'état. ...
, fighting for the South Sudanese government against various rebel factions. The SLM/A (al-Nur) maintains its stronghold in the
Marrah Mountains
The Marrah Mountains or Marra Mountains ( Fur, Fugo Marra; ar, جبل مرة, Jebel Marra are a range of volcanic peaks in a massif that rises up to . They are the highest mountains in Sudan.
Geography
The mountains are located in the center of ...
as of 2021,
holding a territory inhabited by about 300,000 people. The area is factually self-sufficient and mostly isolated from the rest of the Sudan.
It runs a factual government there, training new troops, but has also built several schools, where hundreds of children receive an education daily.
SLM/A (al-Nur) rejected the 2019 Sudanese peace process,
arguing that Arab militias continued their attacks in Darfur and that the new
Sovereignty Council of Sudan
The eleven-member Sovereignty Council of Sudan ( ar, مجلس السيادة السوداني) was the collective head of state of Sudan from 20 August 2019, when it was created by the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration, until 25 Octob ...
included many old commanders of Bashir. However, the group was suffering from internal tensions at this point, as some of its factions were clashing with each other. One splinter group led by Zanoun Abdulshafi had begun to fight alongside the Arab militias.
Fighting between SLM/A (al-Nur) and pro-government forces continues as of 2021.
Other smaller splinter groups
*Sudan Liberation Movement (Historic Leadership) - this group split from the al-Nur faction and is led by Osman Ibrahim Musa. It signed a peace agreement with the government of
South Darfur
South Darfur State ( ar, ولاية جنوب دارفور Wilāyat Ǧanūb Dārfūr; Janob Darfor) is one of the wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the five states that compose the region of Darfur in western Sudan.
Overview
Prior to the ...
in January 2011.
*Sudan Liberation Movement (General Command) - formed in November 2010 by former members of the SLM factions and the former members of 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 ...
(JEM). It is led by Adam Ali Shogar.
*Sudan Liberation Movement (Mainstream) - this group is led by Mohamed Al Zubeir Khamis.
*Sudan Liberation Movement (Unity) - This group emerged as multi-tribal alliance of rebel groups from northern Darfur after the
Abuja peace talks. Though it has no real political plan, the alliance stresses good relations with the people of Darfur and rejected Minnawi's faction for its attacks on civilians. In general, it is poorly armed and rather weak.
** SLA-Unity (1) - The main sub-faction, led by several commanders with Abdalla Yahya, Ahmad Kubbur, and Sherif Harir being the most notable. SLA-Unity (1) was weakened by defections to JEM in 2009, but claimed they have recovered from that setback later on.
** SLA-Unity (2) - A splinter group led by Mahjoub Hussein, a former commander in the Minnawi faction and the leader of the short-lived "Greater Sudan Liberation Movement". Supported by
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
, he claimed to be the new leader of SLA-Unity in 2009, but managed to rally almost none of Unity group's militias to his cause.
*Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance or SLFA - created in July 2017 by joining together a faction of SLM-Unity, ''Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice'', and a faction of 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 ...
led by Abdallah Bishr Gali. , SLFA's chair was al-Tahir Abu Bakr Hajar and Abdallah Yahia the deputy chair.
*Sudan Liberation Movement (Second Revolution) (abbreviated SLM-SR) - this faction was founded as splinter group of SLM/A (al-Nur) in 2014, and is led by Abul Gasim Imam.
It takes part in the conflicts of Darfur,
South Kordofan, and Blue Nile, and participated in peace talks with the Sudanese government in 2016.
*Sudan Liberation Movement-Transitional Council or SLM-TC - , SLM-TC was led by al-Hadi Idris Yahya, as a breakaway group from SLM (al-Nur); SLM-TC was opposed to negotiations with Sudanese president
Omar al-Bashir and participated in the ''Sudan Call'' alliance.
August 2020 peace agreement
Minni Minawi signed a peace agreement on behalf of the Sudan Liberation Movement with the
Transitional Government of Sudan on 31 August 2020 and the organisation will now participate in the
transition to democracy
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a full ...
in Sudan through peaceful means. Under the terms of the agreement, the factions that signed will be entitled to three seats on the
sovereignty council, a total of five ministers in the
transitional cabinet and a quarter of seats in the
transitional legislature. At a regional level, signatories will be entitled between 30 and 40% of the seats on transitional legislatures of their home states or regions.
References
Works cited
*
External links
*
*
al-Nur, Abdel Wahid "SLM statement on the secular state"''Sudan Tribune'' 3 January 2007, from
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
*Reed, Ryan Spencer (2007
"Darfur Photographic Exhibition - The Cost of Silence"- Documentary photographer's images of Sudan's rebels including the Sudan Liberation Army
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sudan Liberation Movement Army
2002 establishments in Sudan
Guerrilla organizations
National liberation movements
Rebel groups in Sudan
Separatism in Sudan
Sudan Revolutionary Front
War in Darfur