Sudan 1983-present: SPLA

After the 1985 coup, President Nimeiry was overthrown by the new government and these new leaders made large changes in order to try and reconcile the north and the south. However, the Shari’a laws instituted by Nimeiry, often known as the September Laws were held in place. In May 1986, the new Sadiq al-Mahdi government tried to make peace with the SPLA, which was led by Col John Garang de Mabior. Garang formed the SPLA in 1983 when he was sent to Bor to end a rebellion of 500 southern troops who were resisting to be moved north. Instead of ending the rebellion, he encouraged other groups to rebel and set himself at the head of the rebellion against Khartoum. In 1986, the SPLA and many other Sudanese political parties had a meeting in Ethiopia and agreed that their goal was to abolish Islamic law and to assemble a constitutional conference. This declaration was called “Koka Dam.” In 1988, the SPLA and the Democratic Unionist Party agreed on a peace plan containing these elements: abolition of military pacts with Egypt and Libya, stop the enforcement of Islamic law, an end to the state of emergency, and a cease-fire. After this peace plan, they planned on assembling the constitutional conference. In February 1989, the Sadiq al-Mahdi government approved the plan and had several meetings with the SPLA. Also, the conference was scheduled to convene in September 1989 but the military government, which took control on June 30, 1989 did not want to negotiate with the SPLA without preconditions. This angered the DUP/SPLA and very little was resolved in the negotiations that took place.