Sudan (4): Hvem er hvem i Sudan? (anden del)
Af FN-bureauet IRINnews, som bl.a. støttes af Danida
Serie på i alt 5 baggrundsartikler om Sudan, Afrikas største land.
Se også henvisninger til de 3 tidligere artikler nedenfor med datoangivelse af, hvor de findes i rubrikken Arkiv på u-landsnyt.dk
Sudan: Who is Who?
Militias – Pro-government armed groups. Two main branches exist, northern and southern, which are responsible to distinct but complementary command structures. The 25 southern militias are centralised under the Sudanese army, whose intelligence department oversees operational matters. Usually based close to garrison towns, they recruit locally and are personality- and ethnicity-driven.
Most of the southern militias operate under the umbrella of the SSDF, many based in oil-rich western Upper Nile. Practically all major urban centres in the region double up as militia headquarters.
The Popular Defence Forces (PDF) oversee the other northern militias, or Murahilin (meaning travellers), recruited among Arab nomadic communities such as Baqqarah (Arabic for cattle herders) from western and southern Kordofan.
First formed in early 1980s mainly to protect the railway between Babanusa, Aweil and Wau in Bahr al-Ghazal, usually operated independently of army. Raids in Bahr al-Ghazal peaked in the mid- and late 1980s, causing famine and widespread abuses. Activities expanded into Darfur and Nuba mountains.
The Murahilin were absorbed by the PDF after Bashir took over power in 1989, but remained active under leadership of the hardline Muslim, Sultan Abd al-Baqi Ayiei, and his son, Husayn Abd al-Baqi. They were usually not paid salaries, but compensated with cash “incentives” and given opportunities to loot.
al-Mirghani, Ahmad Ali – One of the leaders of Khatmiyyah sect, deputy chairman of opposition DUP. Based in Egypt and Asmara since 1989.
al-Mirghani, Muhammad Uthman – Chairman of the DUP and hereditary spiritual guide of the Khatmiyyah – the religious order upon which DUP is based – since 1968. One of the founder members and chairman of the NDA, based in Eritrea.
Muhammad, Ali al-Hajj – NIF member. Minister of internal trade 1988. General investment corporation chairman 1992-93. Minister of Federal Administration Office 1993. NC deputy secretary-general 2000, when he split off and joined Turabis PNC.
Muhammad, Kamal Ali – Minister of irrigation and water resources.
Muhammad, Samiyah Ahmad – Minister of welfare and social development.
Nafi, Maj-Gen Dr Nafi Ali – Minister at the Federal Administration Office. NIF member. Minister of state at the presidency 1994. Head of the external security organisation 1995. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry 1996-99. Presidential adviser on peace affairs 1999-2000.
Nahar, Dr Ahmad Babikr – Minister of education and guidance.
National Islamic Front (NIF) – Islamist movement, established by Hasan Abdullah al-Turabi and other Islamic scholars in 1985. Originated as an Islamist student movement in the 1960s. Engineered and supported the military coup led by Brig (later Lt-Gen) Umar Hasan al-Bashir to overthrow the elected government of Prime Minister Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi in June 1989.
National Congress (NC) – Ruling party in Sudan, latest incarnation of Sudans Muslim Brotherhood, or NIF before the 1989 coup. Following his fall-out with Al-Bashir in 1999, Al-Turabi with some of his supporters established the rival Popular National Congress (PNC).
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – Formed in 1995 as an umbrella of opposition and armed groups with headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea, and branch offices in Cairo, Nairobi, Washington, and London. Composed of political parties, trade unions, armed factions and other groups.
Includes the DUP, SPLM/A, the General Council of the Trade Union Federations, Beja Congress, the Free Lions Association, the Sudan Liberation Army, the Arab Socialist Bath Party, and the Sudanese Communist Party. Chaired by Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani, the head of DUP.
NDA signed agreement in December 2003 in Saudi Arabia with Sudanese government supporting peace negotiations in Kenya with the SPLM/A and calling for a new democratic Sudan benefiting all political parties. The Ummah Party suspended its membership of the NDA on March 2000, but remains committed to the NDAs resolutions and declarations.
Nhial, Cdr Nhial Deng – Chairman of SPLM/A external relations, information and humanitarian affairs commission and key negotiator at peace talks in Kenya. Joined SPLM/A in 1986 with rank of captain, subsequently promoted to commander and appointed SPLM/A governor of northern Bahr al-Ghazal in 1997.
Nicodemus, Kezia Layinwa – SPLM/A commissioner for women, gender and child welfare.
Numayri, Col Jafar Muhammad – Seized power in a bloodless coup in May 1969. He then formed the Sudanese Socialist Union (SSU), under which Sudan became a one-party state, and was elected president in 1971.
In 1983, he divided the south into three regions with the aim of avoiding the domination of the region by the Dinka. He introduced shariah law in 1983, followed by martial law in 1984. Opposition to Numayri mounted with the transformation of the Anya Nya rebel movement into the SPLM/A led by John Garang.
There was also growing opposition in the north, and in April 1985, Numayri was overthrown in a bloodless coup by his own defence minister and armed forces c-in-c, Lt-Gen Abd al-Rahman Siwar al-Dhahab. Numayri then lived in exile in Egypt until 1999, when he was granted an amnesty and returned to Sudan.
al-Nur, Air Force Maj-Gen Abdullah Ali Safi al-Din – Minister of cabinet affairs. Was serving air force colonel in 1991, promoted to staff brigadier in 1996 and appointed minister of state at the ministry of federal affairs. During 1996 he was appointed minister of state at the foreign ministry. In 1997 he was appointed governor of Northern Darfur State.
al-Nur, Al-Tawm – Commander of Peace Army militia in Bahr
al-Ghazal, recruits primarily from Fertit community.
Nyang, Chatyout – Militia leader of Pinylik Forces or Peace Forces, based in Adar/Longochok.
Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) – Established in 1989 as the UN-sponsored umbrella of organisations providing humanitarian aid from Khartoum in northern Sudan, Rumbek in southern Sudan and Lokichkio in Kenya. Made up of over 40 NGOs and a number of UN agencies. Negotiated with government and the SPLM/A to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians in need, regardless of their location, but regularly denied access through government flight denials.
Some NGOs operate outside of the OLS umbrella, which means they do not have to seek permission from the government to fly to Sudan and do not have the OLS security back-up and flight options.
Peace Army – Also known as the Fertit Militia in Bahr al-Ghazal, recruits primarily from Fertit community, commanded by Al-Tawm al-Nur.
Popular Defence Forces (PDF) – Paramilitary units organised by the government in 1989. In 1994, PDF training camps were established for all young people of university age, political indoctrination being an important aspect. It was initially envisioned that the PDF would eventually replace the national army as the countrys main defence arm.
Popular National Congress (PNC) – formed by Hasan al-Turabi in 1999 in opposition to ruling National Congress.
Rashaidah tribesmen of the Free Lions – Rebel movement in eastern Sudan.
Relief Association of South Sudan (RASS) – Humanitarian wing of the SPDF, led by Riek Machar.
Rizq, Hasan Uthman – Minister of youth and sports. Khartoum State minister of education 1992-95. Governor of Western Kordofan State 1995-97. Governor of Nile River State in 2000.
Sabdarat, Abd al-Basit Salih – Minister of relations with National Assembly. Minister of education 1992-96. Minister of Justice 1996-98. Adviser to government on political and legal affairs 1998-2000.
Salih, Maj-Gen Bakri Hasan Salih – Minister of defence. Head of the General Security Organisation 1991-95. Interior minister 1995-98. Minister at the presidency 1998-2000. NIF member.
al-Samani, Al-Samani al-Wasilah Shaykh – Minister of transport.
Siwar al-Dhahab, Lt-Gen Abd al-Rahman – Led bloodless coup against President Numayri in 1985. In April 1986 he organised the elections which ushered Sadiq al-Mahdi, the leader of the Ummah Party, into power.
South Sudan Coordinating Council (SSCC) – Khartoum-based body responsible for the umbrella of southern militias aligned to the government, the SSDF. Dr Riek Gai Kok, the former governor of Jonglei State, was named as its chairman in November 2002.
South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF) – Umbrella of government-aligned southern militias, formed in 1997 following the signing of the Khartoum peace agreement between the government, Riek Machars SSIM/A and five other southern factions. Most southern militias operate under its umbrella.
Riek Machar was its head until he left the government in January 2000 and formed the SPDF. Paulino Matip was named its chief of staff in April 2001 at a conference in Juba. In January 2002 Machar realigned with the SPLM/A, but was not supported by all of the SSIM/SSDF/SPDF forces, some of whom still operate in western Upper Nile. There have been efforts at reconciliation between these forces and the SPLM/A, which have been unsuccessful to date.
South Sudan Independence Movement/Army (SSIM/SSIA) – Nuer-dominated militia, led by Riek Machar, who split from the SPLM/A in 1991, to form the SPLM/A-Nasir/United. In 1994 Riek became leader of the SSIM/A and Lam Akol took the name of SPLM/A-United for his faction in west-central Upper Nile.
In 1995 Riek and Garang signed a ceasefire and agreed to reintegrate their forces, but in April 1996 Machar signed a deal with the government. In 1997, the SSIM/A merged with the other rebel factions which signed the April 1997 Khartoum peace accord to become the SSDF.
South Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM) – Government-aligned militia, led by Dr Michael Wal Dwany since late 1999, based in the Akobo area, Upper Nile. In January 2000, he teamed up with John Luk Jok to set up a purely Nuer liberation movement.
South Sudan Unity Movement (SSUM/A) – Militia formed in 1998 by Maj-Gen Paulino Matip of Sudanese army, incorporating forces from Anyana II with Nuer from SSDF, based around Bentiu and Mankien in western Upper Nile.
Sudan Allied Forces (SAF) – Military wing of some of the parties in the opposition NDA. Played a major role in the opening of a new war front in the east since 1997. For much of 2002/2003, SAF forces were idle as their leaders initiated, but failed to carry out a merger with the SPLM/A.
Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) – Rebel group in Darfur that emerged in February 2003, calling for greater political and economic rights in a united Sudan. Its leader is Abd al-Wahid Muhammad Ahmad al-Nur. Formerly the Darfur Liberation Front, a secessionist group, its name was changed on 14 March 2003.
Sudan Peoples Democratic Forces (SPDF) – Southern militia formed by Riek Machar from most forces of the SSDF in 2000. In January 2002 Machar merged SPDF with SPLM/A. Some dissenting elements reneged in 2003 and now claim to hold about 10 locations in the Bieh and Latjor areas.
Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) – The SPLA is the military wing of the SPLM, and is subordinate to it. John Garang is both chairman of the SPLM and c-in-c of the SPLA. It is Sudans largest rebel movement, highly centralised, currently engaged in bilateral peace process with the Khartoum government in Kenya, in favour of a secular, united, democratic Sudan. Secured right to self-determination for southern Sudan in Machakos protocol signed with government in July 2002.
Formed in 1983 when Lt-Col John Garang of the Sudanese army was sent to quell a mutiny in Bor of 500 southern troops who were resisting orders to be relocated to the north. Garang encouraged this and other mutinies in other garrisons and set himself up as head of the rebellion against Khartoum.
In 1991, split into two factions: one, SPLM/A mainstream led by Garang, who supported a united Sudan, and the other, the SPLM/A-Nasir or -United under Riek Machar, Lam Akol Ajawin and Gordon Kong Chuol, who supported succession for the south and denounced Garang as a dictator. The split followed ethnic lines with the Dinka supporting Garang and the Nuer/Shilluk moving away.
In the first years of its existence, SPLM/A received assistance from Ethiopia, Israel, and Libya. Libya later shifted its support to the Sudanese government after the overthrow of Numayri. In 1991, SPLM/A received an almost fatal blow when the government of Mengistu Haile Mariam was overthrown in Ethiopia, and it lost its most important source of military hardware.
In the 1990s the SPLM/A was able to enlist the support of the new governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara, as well as of that of Yoweri Museveni in Uganda, partly in response to the Khartoum governments support for armed opposition movements in those countries.
By the latter 1990s, there was also increasing evidence that these neighbouring states were acting as conduits for US military hardware to the SPLM/A, the US having branded the Khartoum government a rogue state in 1996.
Sudan Peoples Liberation Army-Bor (SPLA-Bor) – Also known as SPLM/A-Upper Nile Group, militia based in South Bor under commander Deng Kelay Riak.
Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army-United (SPLM/A-United) – Faction of SPLM/A, mostly Nuer, lead by Riek Machar from 1993-4, based in Nasir. Name taken by Lam Akol in 1994 for his Shilluk faction based in Tonga. SPLA-United militia forces still in existence in Nyilwak, despite Lam Akols realignment with SPLM/A since October 2003.
Sudan Relief Rehabilitation Commission (SRRC) – Humanitarian wing of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement, Elijah Malok executive director. Combines Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association and Relief Association for South Sudan, the humanitarian wings of the SPLM/A and the SPDF respectively.
Sumbeiywo, Lt-Gen Lazarus – Kenyan. Chief mediator in ongoing peace talks in Kenya between the government and SPLM/A.
Taha, Ali Uthman Muhammad – First Vice-President since February 1998, engaged in ongoing face-to-face peace talks in Kenya with John Garang of the SPLM/A since September 2003. NIF deputy secretary-general; NIF member since his days at Al-Qadimah secondary school together with current President Umar al-Bashir.
A former judge and hardline leader of the opposition during the 1986-89 democratically elected government led by Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi. Widely believed to have been a key planner of the 1989 coup against Al-Mahdi. Served as foreign minister between 1995 and 1998. Key player in the Islamisation programme in southern Sudan and Nuba Mountains.
Taha, Prof al-Zubayr Bashir – Minister of Science and Technology.
al-Tahir, Maj-Gen (retd) Al-Tijani Adam – Minister of environment and construction development since 2000. Was serving brigadier in 1989 and appointed member of the revolutionary council and political supervisor of Darfur Region. Interior minister 1990-96. Minister of civil aviation 1996-98.
Taj al-Din, Dr Ali Hasan – Presidential adviser.
Takanah, Yusuf Sulayman – Minister of international cooperation.
Tap, John Both – Commander of Canal Mouth Allied Forces, based in Dulayb Hill.
Teny, Buoth – Militia leader in Malakal and Fangak.
Thiik, Justice Ambrose Riny – Head of the SPLM/A judiciary.
Transitional Areas – Reference to the three areas of the Nuba Mountains, southern Blue Nile, and Abyei, traditionally considered part of the north, following the 1956 administrative boundaries, but currently controlled partly by the SPLM/A. According to the government, not eligible for self-determination as other parts of the south.
Tual, Reth Gai – Militia leader in eastern Upper Nile.
al-Turabi, Dr Hasan Abdullah – Mastermind behind the political and ideological development of the Islamic movement in Sudan. Former academic, Islamic scholar, embarked on political career in mid-1960s after being involved in the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1954. Detained in prison 1969-77 for opposing Numayri.
However, he was appointed attorney-general in 1979, then presidential foreign affairs adviser in 1983, when he backed the introduction of shariah law. Established the NIF in 1985 with other Islamic scholars. In 1988, the NIF joined a coalition government headed by Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, who appointed him successively as minister of justice, minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister.
Following the 1989 coup, when Bashir seized power, Turabi was imprisoned together with al-Mahdi and the DUP leader, Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani. Released early in 1990 when he declared his readiness to work with the new regime. Elected as an MP in 1996, then as Speaker.
In 1999 he fell out with Bashir after signing an agreement with the SPLM/A agreeing to oppose the governments “totalitarian course” and acknowledging the right of southern Sudanese to self-determination.
Dismissed from the ruling NC in early 2000, he then formed the PNC. Placed under house-arrest in 2000, released in mid-2003. Currently claiming to have become a democrat.
Ummah Party – Opposition party led by ex-Prime Minister Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi. Led by the Islamic Ansar movement, its supporters follow the strict teachings of the Mahdi, who ruled Sudan in the 1880s.
United Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF)- Political wing of the SSDF.
Uru, Bandindi Pascal – SPLM/A commissioner for agriculture.
Urwah, Maj-Gen Al-Fatih Muhammad, Maj-Gen – Ambassador to UN. NIF member. Was colonel in Numayris security organisation in 1985. Appointed presidential adviser by Al-Bashir in 1989, and in 1998 as Sudans ambassador to the UN, a post he still holds to date.
Uthman, Dr Ahmad Bilal – Minister of health. Was minister of state for health in the government overthrown in 1989, briefly detained, then released.
Verification and Monitoring Team (VMT) – Mandated to monitor ceasefire violations in a February 2003 addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding on Cessation of Hostilities between the government and the SPLM/A.
Vraalsen, Eric Tom – UN Special Envoy for Sudan.
White Army – Locally based armed militias loyal to individual chiefs. Ready source of fighters for various groups seeking power.
Yasin, Ali Muhammad Uthman – Minister of justice since 1998. NIF member. Under secretary foreign ministry 1991. Subsequently ambassador to Britain until 1994. Permanent representative to the UN 1994-96.
Se også “Artikelrække om fredsudsigterne for Sudan”, 17.02.04, samt “Sudan (1): Baggrunden for fredsudsigterne”, 17.02.04, “Sudan (2): Darfur, et kompliceret blodbad”, 17.02.04, og “Sudan (3): Kronologi over begivenhederne”, 01.03.04, i rubrikken Arkiv ude i menuen til venstre.
