Military of South Sudan
| Sudan People's Liberation Army or Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 1983–present |
| Country |
 Sudan (1983–2011) South Sudan (2011–present)
|
| Branch | Sudan People's Liberation Army South Sudan Air Force |
| Size | 150,000 (2015) |
| Motto(s) | Victory is certain |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Defense Minister | Kuol Manyang Juuk |
Military history of South Sudan
The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) is the army of the Republic of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement in 1983 and was a key participant of the Second Sudanese Civil War. Throughout the war, it was led by John Garang.
Following John Garang's death in 2005, Salva Kiir was named the new Commander-in-Chief of SPLA. As of 2013, the SPLA was estimated to have 210,000 soldiers, as well as an unknown number of personnel in the small South Sudan Air Force. The SPLA is divided into divisions of 10,000-14,000 soldiers. Following South Sudan's independence in 2011, the SPLA became the new republic's regular army.
In May 2017 it was reported that South Sudanese President Salva Kiir was restructuring the army and changing its name to from the SPLA to the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF). In August, it was reported that the new name would be the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF).
In 1983 a number of mutinies broke out in the barracks of the Sudanese army in the southern regions, most notably in Bor. These mutineers would form the nucleus of SPLA. By June 1983 the majority of mutineers had moved to Ethiopia, or were on their way towards Gambella. The Ethiopian government's decision to support the nascent SPLA was a means of exacting revenge upon the Sudanese government for their support of Eritrean rebels.
SPLA was led by Commander-in-Chief John Garang de Mabior. SPLA struggled for a united and secular Sudanese state. Garang stated that the struggle of the South Sudanese was the same as that of marginalized groups in the north, such as the Nuba and Fur peoples. Until 1985, SPLA directed its public denouncements of the Sudanese government specifically at Nimeiri. During the years that followed, SPLA propaganda denounced the Khartoum government as a family affair that played on sectarian tensions. SPLA denounced the introduction of sharia law in September 1983.
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