The Call for Democracy in Sudan

Book excerpt: This is a comprehensive and moving account of the founding and objectives of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Both these organizations were established by John Garang de Mabior who, born and brought up in Southern Sudan, has bought passionately for democracy there. He believes the aspirations of the Sudanese people should not be affected by race, religion or sex. This second edition, containing four new chapters, presents the historical factors leading to the founding of the Movement and provides a clear picture of the means by which it hopes to achieve its objective of freedom for the country as a whole. It traces the efforts of the SPLM to achieve a peaceful settlement of Sudan's problems since the failure of the Koka Dam initiative, and provides a fully documented account of the peace negotiations. The book concludes with John Garang's reactions to the failure of Sudan's third parliamentary democracy and the initiation of Sudan's third military dictatorship in June, 1989.