Southern Sudan Liberation Movement

The Southern Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM) was the political wing of the Anya Nya rebel forces. In 1971, General Joseph Lagu united the Anya Nya and the SSLM, leading to negotiations with the Sudanese government. These talks culminated in the Addis Ababa Agreement in 1972, which ended a 17-year conflict and granted autonomy to southern Sudan. The agreement established a separate legislature and executive for the region and integrated Anya Nya soldiers into the Sudanese army and police. However, by the 1980s, relations deteriorated, leading to the resumption of civil war in 1983 between the predominantly Muslim north and the African Christian and animist south. This conflict was fueled by political instability, corruption, and the imposition of Islamic law. The Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and its political wing, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), formed the basis of the southern army.12345