Sudan peace deal full of gains for region

Nahla Abdelmonem

The Sudanese government announced on August 31 that it had signed an historic peace deal with the Sudanese Revolutionary Front in South Sudanese capital Juba under sponsorship from both the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The deal follows years of fighting between the rebel group and Khartoum.

The Sudanese Revolutionary Front is made up of a number of rebel groups. These groups include the following:

1 – Justice and Equality Movement

This movement was founded in 2011 by Khalil Ibrahim who aided ousted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir in staging a coup against the elected government of Sudan in 1989. Bashir appointed Ibrahim as a cabinet minister later. However, their honeymoon came to an end quickly when the movement lobbied for democracy. The ensuing fighting culminated in Ibrahim’s death in 2011. He was succeeded by Jibril Ibrahim.

2 – Sudan Liberation Movement

This movement was commanded by Abdel Wahid Nour. It started its armed struggle against the government of Khartoum in 2002. Mona Araku Menawi used to aid Nour before rifts appeared between them. Menawi signed a peace deal with the Sudanese interim government. However, Nour’s front refused to join in the same deal.

3 – Sudan People’s Liberation Movement

This movement has been operating in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states since the independence of South Sudan which used to fight side by side with it. The movement split into two, including one that was led by Malik Akar and another by Abdel Aziz al-Helw.

4 – The Transitional Revolutionary Council

This council was founded in 2012. It is lead by al-Hadi Idriss.

Turning point

These fronts used to fight the government of Khartoum. However, rifts appeared between them, opening the door for conflicts.

The same fronts decided to unite under the umbrella of a revolutionary front. This amounted to a turning point in the struggle between these movements and Khartoum.