South Sudan Democratic Movement
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The South Sudan Democratic Movement (SSDM), sometimes called the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A), was a
South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...
ese militant group. Along with its armed wing, the South Sudan Defence Army (SSDA), rebelled against the
government of South Sudan The politics of South Sudan concern the system of government in the Republic of South Sudan, a country in East Africa, and the people, organizations, and events involved in it. As a region, the Republic of South Sudan gained autonomy in 2005 wit ...
led by President
Salva Kiir Mayardit Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 13 September 1951), commonly known as Salva Kiir, is a South Sudanese politician who is the President of South Sudan since its independence on 9 July 2011. Prior to independence, he was the List of heads of state of So ...
and the
Sudan People's Liberation Movement The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM; , ''Al-Ḥarakat ash-Shaʿbiyyat liTaḥrīr as-Sūdān'') is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as the political wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA; a key belli ...
.Small Arms Survey - HSBA Baseline Assessment
Armed Groups: Athor


Formation & First Rebellion

The Movement was formed in 2010 by controversial former
Sudan People's Liberation Army The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the military force of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a key parti ...
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
George Athor George Athor Deng (1962 – 19 December 2011) was the Sudan People's Liberation Army lieutenant general and a SPLA dissident who led the South Sudan Democratic Movement and its military wing, the South Sudan Defence Army. He was also an indepe ...
after he failed to win the governorship of
Jonglei Jonglei State is a state of South Sudan with Bor as its centre of government and the biggest city. Jonglei state comprises nine counties: Bor, Akobo, Ayod, Uror, Duk, Nyirol, Pigi, Twic East, and Fangak. Jonglei State is the largest s ...
in what was then the
Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be def ...
in the state of Jonglei as well as neighbouring Upper Nile in the Republic of South Sudan. Due to Athor's access to military support from the Sudanese & Eritrean Governments, he was able to attract other dissenting SPLA commanders such as Gatluak Gai in
Unity State Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile, is a state in South Sudan. Unity State is in the Greater Upper Nile region. Unity is inhabited predominantly by two ethnic groups: the Nuer majority, and the Dinka minority. In 2015, a preside ...
, David Yau Yau in Pibor county, and Shilluk commanders John Uliny and Alyuak Ogot in Upper Nile.SSDM/A-Athor
/ref> Whilst the
Sudan People's Liberation Army The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the military force of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a key parti ...
(SPLA) accused the North Sudanese government of supporting the SSDM, SPLA officials did not elaborate on what role they believe
Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...
's backing has played. Athor later signed a ceasefire agreement with the Government of South Sudan in January 2011, although the talks broke down and fighting re-erupted in February 2011. Other factions of the SSDM/A would later sign ceasefire agreements with the GOSS, with Yau Yau's faction signing one in June 2011, and Gai's in July 2011. Gai was allegedly murdered by his deputy in July 2011, although it is widely believed the SPLA were responsible, whilst Yau Yau, who had been stationed in Juba awaiting re-integration, would later defect to Khartoum in June 2012 and resume his factions insurgency in Jongeli in July 2012. Athor himself was killed on 19 December 2011 in
Equatoria Equatoria is the southernmost region of South Sudan, along the upper reaches of the White Nile and the border between South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Juba, the national capital is the largest city in South S ...
by
South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...
ese troops whilst allegedly attempting to cross into South Sudan from Uganda, resulting in Peter Kuol Chol Awan becoming SSDM/A Commander-in-Chief. The South Sudanese Government announced that the SSDM/A had signed a peace deal in February 2012, and SSDM/A Commander-in-Chief Peter Kuol Chol Awan travelled to Juba and surrendered to the SPLA on 8 March 2012. This agreement was not accepted by all SSDM/A factions however, and John Uliny's faction in Upper Nile rejected the agreement, with John Uliny claiming leadership of the SSDM, and remaining active until mid 2013. Small remnants of Athor's original force in Pigi County also rejected the agreement, remaining active until August 2013. The bulk of Athor's forces - some 1,300 - had been disarmed, trained, and were awaiting formal re-integration in Oinykibol training centre in Eastern Equatoria in late September 2013.


Structure

Many SSDM fighters are from the Murle, a minority tribe that has long disputed herds of
livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...
and pasturing grounds with a fellow cattle ranching tribe, the Lou Nuer. Under Athor's leadership, Murle tribesmen repeatedly clashed with the Lou Nuer and the armed forces of South Sudan throughout much of 2011.


SSDM/A - Cobra Faction

David Yau Yau had been one of the members of the original SSDM/A rebellion, joining following his failure to win a seat in the Jongeli state legislature in the 2010 elections. His main motivation was claimed to be the underdevelopment of Pibor County in Jonglei and the lack of local power-sharing with the Bor government. In the first SSDM/A rebellion Yau Yau's force was relatively small, with ~200 receiving presidential pardons following peace negotiations in June 2011. Yau Yau later returned to Pibor in July 2012 to restart his rebellion, having been dissatisfied with the integration package offered, and being opposed to the ongoing political marginalization of Murle people in Pibor county. The Cobra Faction later signed a peace agreement on 30 January 2014 which established the semi-autonomous Greater Pibor Administrative Area. In February 2015 a splinter from the Cobra Faction; the Greater Pibor Forces, joined with the
forces In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and directi ...
of
Riek Machar Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon (born 26 November 1952) is a South Sudanese politician who has served as the vice president of South Sudan on several occasions, most recently as the first vice president, since 2020. A member of the Nuer ethnic group ...
in the ongoing
South Sudanese Civil War The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan fought from 2013 to 2020, between forces of the government and opposition forces. The civil war caused rampant human rights abuses, including forced displacement, ethnic mas ...
. In September 2016, however, the Cobra Faction was declared restored by some of its commanders and declared that it had resumed its struggle against the government.


SSDM/A-Upper Nile faction

The SSDM/A-Upper Nile faction was led by Shilluk commanders John Uliny and Alyuak Ogot, and was initially driven largely by disputes between the Shilluk community and the Upper Nile state government over land and county boundaries. Later motivations included revenge over the 2010 disarmament campaign, in which it was claimed the SPLA's 7th Division committed large scale abuses. The South Sudanese Government has claimed the Upper Nile Faction is linked with SPLM-DC, although SPLM-DC leader
Lam Akol Lam Akol Ajawin, is a South Sudanese politician of Shilluk people, Shilluk descent. He is the current leader of National Democratic Movement (NDM) party. He is a former high-ranking official in the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), and subse ...
denies this.


References

{{Reflist 2010 establishments in South Sudan Factions of the South Sudanese Civil War Rebel groups in South Sudan