The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army ( ''Ḥarakat Taḥrīr as-Sūdān'';
abbreviated
An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing per ...
SLM, SLA, or SLM/A) is a
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
ese rebel group active in
Darfur
Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...
,
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
. 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
Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...
: the
Fur
A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all 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 ...
, the
Zaghawa, and the
Masalit,
among whom were the leaders
Abdul Wahid al-Nur of the Fur,
Khamis Abakar of the Masalit and
Minni Minnawi
Suliman Arcua Minnawi (; born 12 December 1968), also known as "Minni Minnawi" (), is a Sudanese politician and the leader of a faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army. A former educator, Minnawi served as secretary to Sudan Liberation Army lead ...
of the Zaghawa.
Formation
General
Omar al-Bashir
Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir (born 1 January 1944) is a Sudanese former military officer and politician who served as Head of state of Sudan, Sudan's head of state under various titles from 1989 until 2019, when he was deposed in 2019 Sudanese c ...
and the National Islamic Front headed by Dr.
Hassan al-Turabi overthrew the Sudanese government led by
Ahmed al-Mirghani in 1989. A large section of the population in Darfur, particularly the non-Arab ethnicities in the region, became increasingly marginalized. These feelings were solidified in 2000 by the publication 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, 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 an American narrow-body aircraft, 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 t ...
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 en route from
Nyala
The lowland nyala or simply nyala (''Tragelaphus angasii'') is a spiral-horned artiodactyl antelope native to Southern Africa. The species is part of the family Bovidae and the genus '' Tragelaphus'' (formerly placed in the genus ''Nyala''). It ...
, 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 the 19th century, Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in ...
, in southern Libya. SLM leader
Abdel Wahid 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 that 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
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...
during the
Libyan Civil War (2011)
The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were ...
, 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
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
, fighting for different factions there in exchange for money and equipment. The SLM/A-Minnawi allied itself with the
Khalifa Haftar
Khalifa Haftar (; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA). In 2015, he was appointed commander of the armed forces loyal to the 2014 Libyan parliam ...
-aligned
Libyan National Army
The Libyan National Army (LNA; , ''al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii''), also known as the Libyan Arab Army (LAA; , ''al-Jaysh al-'Arabiyy al-Lībii'') or the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF; ), is a component of Libyan Armed Forces, Libya's mil ...
(LNA), and fought alongside it in the
Battle of Derna (2018–2019), losing several fighters in the battle. On 12 January 2019, the SLM/A-Minnawi clashed with the
Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
ian
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 an
LNA offensive in southern Libya.
Groups and factions
Sudan Liberation Movement (Minnawi)
The SLM (Minnawi) is led by
Minni Minnawi
Suliman Arcua Minnawi (; born 12 December 1968), also known as "Minni Minnawi" (), is a Sudanese politician and the leader of a faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army. A former educator, Minnawi served as secretary to Sudan Liberation Army lead ...
and signed the 2006 (Abuja)
Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006. Minnawi served as the Chairman 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, the 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 was an armed conflict and insurgency in the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile (state), Blue Nile (known as the Two Areas) between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan Pe ...
. 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 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 ...
, fighting for the South Sudanese government against various rebel factions. The SLM-Minnawi was a participant in the 2019
Sudanese peace process .
Sudan Liberation Movement (al-Nur)
The SLM (al-Nur)
was formed in 2006 and is led by
Abdul Wahid al Nur
Abdul (also transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul; , ) is the most frequent transliteration of the combination of the Arabic word '' Abd'' (, meaning "Servant") and the definite prefix '' al / el'' (, meaning "the").
It ...
. 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 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 ...
, fighting for the South Sudanese government against various rebel factions. The SLM/A (al-Nur) maintains its stronghold in the
Marrah Mountains as of 2021,
holds 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, and has also built several schools, where hundreds of children receive daily education.
The 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 Transitional Sovereignty Council () is the collective head of state of Sudan, formed on 21 August 2019, by the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration. The initial council was dissolved by its Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in the ...
included many former commanders from the Bashir Era. 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 the SLM/A (al-Nur) and pro-government forces continues as of 2021.
Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance
The SLFA was created in July 2017 by joining a faction of the SLM-Unity, ''Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice'', and a faction of the
Justice and Equality Movement
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM; , ') 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 December 2011. The JEM supported the removal ...
led by Abdallah Bishr Gali. , the SLFA's chair was El-Taher Abu Bakr Hajar with Abdallah Yahia being the deputy chair. In March 2021, El Taher Hajar was sworn as member of Sudan's
Transitional Sovereignty Council
The Transitional Sovereignty Council () is the collective head of state of Sudan, formed on 21 August 2019, by the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration. The initial council was dissolved by its Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in the ...
as part of the implementation of the
Juba Peace Agreement.
Sudan Liberation Movement-Transitional Council
As of March 2019, the SLM-TC was led by El-Hadi Idris Yahya, as a breakaway group from the SLM (al-Nur); the SLM-TC was opposed to negotiations with Sudanese president
Omar al-Bashir
Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir (born 1 January 1944) is a Sudanese former military officer and politician who served as Head of state of Sudan, Sudan's head of state under various titles from 1989 until 2019, when he was deposed in 2019 Sudanese c ...
and participated in the ''Sudan Call'' alliance. In March 2021, El-Hadi Idris was sworn as member of Sudan's
Transitional Sovereignty Council
The Transitional Sovereignty Council () is the collective head of state of Sudan, formed on 21 August 2019, by the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration. The initial council was dissolved by its Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in the ...
as part of the implementation of the
Juba Peace Agreement.
Sudan Liberation Movement (Tambour)
The SLM (Tambour) was formed when
Mustafa Tambour split in 2018 from the SLM (al-Nur) led by
Abdul Wahid al Nur
Abdul (also transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul; , ) is the most frequent transliteration of the combination of the Arabic word '' Abd'' (, meaning "Servant") and the definite prefix '' al / el'' (, meaning "the").
It ...
. On 31 July 2023, the SLM (Tambour) announced that its forces had joined the SAF in fighting against the RSF during the
2023 Sudan conflict, claiming to have inflicted 68 casualties on the latter during fighting in
Zalingei. Tambour's brother had previously been killed by the RSF.
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 ( Wilāyat Ǧanūb Dārfūr; Janob Darfor) is one of the States of Sudan, wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the five states that compose the Darfur, region of Darfur in western Sudan.
Overview
Prior to the creation of t ...
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; , ') 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 December 2011. The JEM supported the removal ...
(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, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
, 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 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.
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 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.
Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
The SLM (al-Nur) has established a zone-of-control around the town of
Tawila after the withdrawal of both government and RSF forces in the region. This zone of control also includes several surrounding villages including Martal, Al-Aradib,
Al-Ashra, Sortony, and Tibira in
North Darfur
North Darfur State ( Wilāyat Šamāl Dārfūr; ''Shamal Darfor'') is one of the wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the five states composing the Darfur region. It has an area of 296,420 km2 and an estimated population of approximat ...
, Kadner and Kankoro in
South Darfur
South Darfur State ( Wilāyat Ǧanūb Dārfūr; Janob Darfor) is one of the States of Sudan, wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the five states that compose the Darfur, region of Darfur in western Sudan.
Overview
Prior to the creation of t ...
, and Katrom, Sabanga, Barqa, and Rofta in
Central Darfur.
On January 22, 2024, the combatants that signed the
Juba Peace Agreement met for a summit in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
. Namely, Brigadier General Mubarak Bakhit, the Secretary of Presidential Affairs of the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces, Suleiman Sandal and Gibril Adam Bilal, Vice Presidents of the
Justice and Equality Movement
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM; , ') 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 December 2011. The JEM supported the removal ...
, and Seif al-Din Issa Advisor to the President of the SLM-TC, however,
Minni Arko Minawi and his faction of the SLM did not attend. The gathering recommended that the Jeddah Declaration to Cessation of Hostilities be implemented, which outlined the withdrawal of all
Rapid Support Forces
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF; ) is a paramilitary force formerly operated by the government of Sudan. The RSF grew out of, and is primarily composed of, the Janjaweed militias which previously fought on behalf of the Sudanese government.
RSF ...
personnel from Darfur.
On March 24, 2024, Minawi announced that the 1,500 SLM fighters would join the Sudanese Armed Forces in fighting the Rapid Support Forces in order to "defend civilians and Sudan's sovereignty." SLM forces are to progress toward the country's center to expel the RSF from Khartoum and
Gezira State.
References
Works cited
*
External links
Sudan Liberation Movement/Army*
*
al-Nur, Abdel Wahid "SLM statement on the secular state"''Sudan Tribune'' 3 January 2007, from
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
*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
Factions of the South Sudanese Civil War
Guerrilla organizations
National liberation movements
Organisations of the Sudanese revolution
Rebel groups in Sudan
Separatism in Sudan
Sudan Revolutionary Front
Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
War in Darfur