Mountains joined SPLM/A as well as Blue Nile which joined in late 1980s7. The war
continued until 2005 when the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA)8 was signed.
After the CPA, the two states of South Kordufan (SK) and Blue Nile (BN) enjoyed
relative peace up to 2011 when South Sudan declared its independence as a result of
the Referendum on the right to self-determination, which was enshrined in the CPA and
guaranteed by the Interim National Constitution 2005. The cessation of South Sudan
divided the SPLM/A into two. One Part in South Sudan and the other remained in
Sudan and subsequently renamed as Sudan Peoples‟ Liberation Movement/Army-North
(SPLM/ A-N).
The conflict broke out in South Kordufan state in 2011, due to many factors. There was
a historical lack of trust9 between the two parties (SPLM and NCP), tension over the
results of the state‟s complementary elections and the expected exercise of the Popular
Consultation10which constituted in the (CPA). The Government of Sudan (GoS)
attempted to disarm the SPLA soldiers in SK but the disarmament was opposed by the
SPLM leadership hence the conflict.
In June 2011 the president of Sudan (Omar Albashir)11 declared the state of emergency
in SK under the Emergency Act of 1998. The State of Emergency also had been
declared in BN in September 2011. The state of emergency had favored the security
officials‟ to violate the rights of civilians. National Intelligence and Security services
(NISS) and Military Intelligence (MI) practiced to arrest civilians arbitrarily accusing them
of associating with the SPLA-N. Many people in villages in the two states were forced by
Sudan Armed Force (SAF) and its allied militias to evacuate or burned12.
In September 2011 the war spread to Blue Nile state due to the tension created by the
conflict in SK. The war broke out in Blue Nile after president Omar Al-Bashir had
rejected the implementation of Nafie13 Agar14 agreement15 which was signed on 29th
June 2011. Nevertheless, on 22nd August 2011 Al-Bashir and Agar held a meeting in
7
Please review the following link for more info http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/horn-ofafrica/sudan/204-sudans-spreading-conflict-ii-war-in-blue-nile.pdf
8
In January 2005 at Naivasha, Kenya, CPA was signed between the Government of Sudan and SPLM.It was
mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD). It includes six protocols one is dedicated
for SK and BN (two areasprotocol).
9
For more information please
visit:https://books.google.co.tz/books?id=7CTvCQAAQBAJ&lpg=PA746&ots=ectFgRG7cD&dq=lack%20of%20trust%
20between%20SPLA%20and%20SAF&pg=PA754#v=onepage&q=lack%20of%20trust%20between%20SPLA%20and
%20SAF&f=false
10
Popular consultation is an exercise whereby the two states’ Legislative Assemblies review the CPA and decide
their fate as well as submitting their recommendation to the Presidency.
11
He is the current president of Sudan who is indicted by International Criminal Court (ICC)
12
http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/afr540112013en.pdf
13
Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie, president assistant and deputy chairman of NCP
14
Malik Agar Eyre, Blue Nile state governor and chairman of SPLM-N
15
http://www.sudantribune.com/IMG/pdf/Two_Areas_Agreement.pdf
7
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