A Fractious Rebellion: Inside the SPLM-IO (HSBA Working Paper 39)

Against a background of continuing war and failed peace-making, this study attempts to get beyond the public face of the organization as represented by those at the peace talks and provide analysis and background of the many dimensions of the SPLM-IO. Specifically, it considers the formation of the SPLM-IO, identifies the organization’s mode of operation and key political and military actors, and reports on its conferences at Nasir and Pagak in formu-lating its direction and maintaining a fragile unity among the fractious rebels. Key military developments through mid-2015, the main controversies within the rebel organization, relations with regional actors, and the course of the peace process are also examined.