South Sudan Patriotic Army | |
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Leaders | Brig. Gen. Agany Abdel Bagi Ayii Akol |
Spokesperson | Brig. Gen. Deng Mareng Deng (until Oct. 2017) |
Dates of operation | 2016/17 – present |
Allegiance |
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Group(s) | Dot Baai brigade [1] |
Active regions | Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan |
Ideology | Anti-Salva Kiir Mayardit [2] |
Size | 15,000 (self-claim) [1] |
Opponents | ![]() |
The South Sudan Patriotic Army (abbreviated SSPA) is a South Sudanese rebel militia that takes part in the South Sudanese Civil War and serves as military wing of Costello Garang Ring's South Sudan Patriotic Movement. [3] Well armed and relatively numerous, the SSPA mostly operates in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and is considered to be one of the most powerful rebel groups in South Sudan.
The SSPA was founded by Brig. Gen. Agany Abdel Bagi Ayii Akol in Northern Bahr el Ghazal sometime between early 2016 and April 2017. [1] [4] From its first appearance, the SSPA possessed equipment that was unusually sophisticated for a new rebel group, including uniforms, technicals, PK machine guns, RPGs, and Kalashnikov rifles. Observers noted that this might hint at a powerful patron supporting the group. [5]
Accordingly, there has been much speculation about possible links between the SSPA and various South Sudanese strongmen. One news website argued that the militia could be a front organization of Paul Malong Awan, the former SPLA Chief of General Staff, as the SSPA's emergence coincided with the arrival of Malong's private army Mathiang Anyoor in Aweil State. [5] Furthermore, numerous suspected followers of Malong are known to have joined the SSPA. [6] [7] [8] On the other side, the militia shares its name with the South Sudan Patriotic Movement (SSPM) of opposition politician Costello Garang Ring. Though it was initially denied that Garang had any connections with the SSPA, [9] the militia's spokesman Deng Mareng Deng eventually revealed Garang as the SSPA's political leader. [10]
The SSPA's initial base reportedly was Meram in Aweil East State, from where it started to attack positions of the SPLA in the nearby Rumaker in late April 2017. [4] In June, the militia claimed to have captured the towns of Malek Gumel and Warguet, and announced its plans to conquer Paul Malong Awan's hometown of Malualkon, near Aweil. The government officially denied the fall of either town to the rebels, [1] [5] while a local policeman confirmed that Malek Gumel had been conquered by the SSPA, though Warguet remained under SPLA control. [11] The SSPA also claimed to have captured large amounts of weaponry and other equipment in course of the fighting at the two towns. [1] By August 2017, the SSPA had lost Malek Gumel, however, and launched another attack on it as well as Majak Wei. These assaults were repulsed by the government military. [12]
In September, the SSPA claimed to have initiated talks with other rebel factions to coordinate their military actions. Agany Abdel Bagi Ayii Akol stated that the insurgents would form an alliance which would include the SSPA, alongside forces loyal to Riek Machar, Lam Akol, Thomas Cirillo, Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro, [13] and John Uliny. [2] The latter however denied that any talks were taking place with the SSPA. [14]
By October 2017, the SSPA was considered to be one of the greatest threats to the South Sudanese government, having made "significant military gains" at this point. [9] Despite this, the militia's spokesman Brig. Gen. Deng Mareng Deng defected to the government in late October, citing his disappointment in Costello Garang Ring's political direction as reason. [10] In January and February 2018, however, several followers of Malong joined the SSPA alongside their personal militias. Among these were Kuol Athuai Hal, Manut Yel Lual, and Baak Bol Baak. [6] [7] [8]
On 25 August 2018, Brig. Gen. Agany declared himself "interim leader" of the entire South Sudan Patriotic Movement, effectively ousting Costello Garang Ring as the party's head. He claimed that he had been elected by the SSPM/A's other leading figures after Costello had failed to uphold his commitment to the ongoing Khartoum peace talks between the government and various rebel factions. The general said that he had consequently entered the peace talks, and could "reassure the public that there is no any problem at all". [15] Costello responded by stating that he fully supported the peace process, and Agany had "no authority" to replace him anyway. [16] The dispute continued until 4 September, when another SSPA commander announced that Agany and Costello had reconciled, with the latter having agreed to "resolve some administrative issues". [3] It was later clarified that the disagreements between the two would be settled by a mediation committee formed by SSPM and tribal leaders. [17]
The SSPA's founder and military leader is Brig. Gen. Agany Abdel Bagi Ayii Akol, an ethnic Dinka [18] and son of tribal leader Abdel Bagi Ayii Akol. [17] Agany served as officer in the SPLA before joining Peter Gadet's rebellion against the South Sudanese government in 2016. [4] Brig. Gen. Deng Mareng Deng served as the group's spokesman [5] until his defection in October 2017. [10] General Hussein Abdel-Bagi Akol is another senior commander. [3]
The militia claims to have 15,000 fighters under its command and is split into a number of sub-units, one of them being the Dot Baai (Save the Homeland) brigade. [1] Its forces mostly consist of Dinka, but have reportedly managed to attract fighters from other ethnic groups as well. [9]
Northern Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 30,543 km² and is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. It borders East Darfur in Sudan to the north, Western Bahr el Ghazal to the west and south, and Warrap and the disputed region of Abyei to the east. Aweil is the capital of the state.
John Garang de Mabior was a Sudanese politician and revolutionary leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War, and following a peace agreement he briefly served as First Vice President of Sudan for 3 weeks until his death in a helicopter crash on 30 July 2005. A developmental economist by profession, Garang was a major influence on the movement that led to the foundation of South Sudan.
Wau is a city in northwestern South Sudan, on the western bank of the Jur River, that serves as capital for Western Bahr el Ghazal. It lies approximately 650 kilometres (400 mi) northwest of the capital Juba. A culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse urban center and trading hub, Wau is also the former headquarters of Western Bahr el Ghazal.
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The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the army of the Republic of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a key participant of the Second Sudanese Civil War, led by John Garang. After Garang's death in 2005, Salva Kiir was named the SPLA's new Commander-in-Chief. As of 2010, the SPLA was divided into divisions of 10,000–14,000 soldiers.
Paul Malong Awan, also known as Paul Malong Awan Anei, King Paul, and General Paul, is a South Sudanese politician and military figure. Until 16 May 2017 he was the Chief of General Staffs (COGS) of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). The Chief of General Staffs was the highest-ranking military officer in the SPLA, and also the principal military adviser to the President of the Republic of South Sudan and the National Security Council.
Kerubino Kuanyin Bol was one of the founders of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and one of the leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). He was said to have fired the first shot in that conflict, which flared up when the Khartoum government of Sudan imposed Islamic law, or Sharia, across the whole country, including the southern region which in 2011 became the Republic of South Sudan. The people in this region mainly follow the Christianity and/or a traditional animist religion.
Ethnic violence in South Sudan has a long history among South Sudan's varied ethnic groups. South Sudan has 64 tribes with the largest being the Dinkas, who constitute about 35% of the population and predominate in government. The second largest are the Nuers. Conflict is often aggravated among nomadic groups over the issue of cattle and grazing land and is part of the wider Sudanese nomadic conflicts.
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The South Sudanese Civil War was a conflict 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. Machar denied trying to start a coup and fled to lead the SPLM – in opposition (SPLM-IO). Fighting broke out between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and SPLM-IO, igniting the civil war. Ugandan troops were deployed to fight alongside the South Sudanese government. The United Nations has peacekeepers in the country as part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Aweil State was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020. It was located in the Bahr el Ghazal region and it borders Gogrial to the east, Lol to the west, Aweil East to the north, and Wau to the south. Its capital and largest city was Aweil.
Wau State was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020. It was located in the Bahr el Ghazal region, and was part of the former state of Western Bahr el Ghazal. Wau State bordered Aweil State, Gbudwe State, Gogrial State, Lol State, and Tonj State.
Armed clashes took in Wau State from late June 2016 to January 2019, between the Dinka-dominated Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and local opposition forces, consisting of tribal Fertit militias as well as fighters claiming allegiance to Riek Machar. It is unclear to what extent these rebels are actually part of the SPLM-IO or acting independently while using the SPLM-IO's name. The clashes resulted in the arrest of the state's governor, Elias Waya Nyipuoc, widespread death and destruction in the state capital, Wau town, and the displacement of up to 150,000 people.
Mathiang Anyoor, also spelled Mathiang Anyur, also known as Dot Ke Beny, is a Dinka-affiliated militia group in South Sudan. Originally an ad-hoc volunteer force founded in 2012, the militia was transformed into a private army to protect President Salva Kiir Mayardit and army chief Paul Malong Awan. However, the South Sudanese military (SPLA) claims that it is just another battalion. Much of the ethnic violence against non-Dinkas in the South Sudanese Civil War is attributed to the militia.
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