Sudan - Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA)

Like the Shilluk and the Nuer, the Dinka are Nilotes, perhaps the tallest, blackest people in the world. For centuries, the Muslim north raided them for slaves, concubines, wives. For decades, they have been so ravaged by venereal disease that many clans are almost totally barren. When we drove overland from Malakal to the heart of the Sudd at Bor, warriors from a barren Nuer village raided a Shilluk village, carrying off several girls. The minimum demands of the SPLA are for the abolition of Islamic shari'a law, introduced by Bashir, and the creation of a new constitution. The breakaway faction of the SPLA is calling for the complete independence of southern Sudan. The SPLA is headed by Dr. John Garang de Mabior, a former Sudanese army colonel. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officers Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, and has a Ph.D. earned while Stateside. Some see him as the next president of Sudan. Garang's original job was to fight the rebels, but he ended up joining them instead. He worked his way to the top of the SPLA, mostly because he was on very close terms with Ethiopia's Lieutenant General Haile Mengistu Mariam. He feels that the simplistic principle of Muslim against Christian and black against Arab is too Western in concept. It is simply a matter of discrimination, which gets in the way of economic development and political power--a raison d'etre echoed by German mercenary Rolf Steiner, who helped the Anya in the 1970s and was tortured, tried and imprisoned for his troubles. The current war is about life for the south not about death for the north. Iran is pushing Sudan relentlessly to create a fundamentalist Islamic state. The fact that the black Africans of the south predate the Muslims of the north is immaterial. The SPLA armed forces are estimated to number 55,000. Support, even clandestine training in the bush, has come from Israel and Ethiopia. Garang is chummy with Ugandan president Museveni, who has allowed SPLA movement on the Ugandan side of the border. Sudan may have petroleum reserves nearing those of Saudi Arabia. Western concessionaires who previously flipped the SPLA the bird when it warned against collaboration with Khartoum, are now deeply worried about losing their investments, while those previously uninvolved are actively wooing Garang. The SPLA currently controls five regions in the south where it maintains civil authority. They get weapons and support from Ethiopia and Eritrea. Sudanese rebels train in Eritrea. Following massive gains by the SPLA in 1997, southern Sudanese refugees in neighboring Kenya, Uganda, Congo and Central African Republic are returning to their homes en masse. Journalists or travelers need travel permits from the SPLA if they want to travel in the southern areas. A peace accord was signed with the Lam Akol, SPLA-United Faction in April of '97 six other groups signed a peace agreement with the government. Akol's group is small group comprised on of Shuluk tribesmen and their homeland is sitting on giant oil reserves. The SPLA led by Garang is the last hold out. The SPLA maintains offices in London, Washington, Asmara and Addis Ababa. You, too, can get the scoop but don't count on a well planned trip to front: SPLA London Tel 0171-209-5859 Spokesman Stephen Back SPLA Asmara Tel 29-11-181114 The press officer for the SPLA here is Yasir Kharman. The office occupies the former Sudanese embassy. SPLA Addis Ababa Tel 201394 Press officer Arop Deng Majok.