The South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF): A challenge to the Sudan Peace Process

This report analyses the South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF), a conglomerate of government-supported militias, and argues that its exclusion from the IGAD-sponsored peace process between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) threatens the stability of southern Sudan.

• The South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF) is a fragmented conglomerate of military forces and tribal militias that provides critical security for the Government of Sudan (GoS) in the south, specifically protecting oil fields in Western and Eastern Upper Nile and surrounding GoS-held towns such as Juba, Wau, and Malakal.
• The SSDF emerged from a mix of sources, including remnants of Anyanya II, local self-defence militias formed to resist SPLM/A conduct, and major splits within the SPLM/A in 1991, specifically the Nasir faction led by Riek Machar and Lam Akol.
• The 1997 Khartoum Agreement formalised the relationship between the GoS and these militias, grouping them under the SSDF and establishing the United Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF) as its political wing, with a commitment to a future vote on southern self-determination.
• The SSDF is characterized by extreme internal fragmentation and a lack of unity, with local commanders often operating independently under the direction of GoS Military Intelligence rather than a central command.
• The SSDF consists of several distinct components, including the South Sudan Unity Movement (SSUM) under Paulino Matiep, the Equatoria Defence Force (EDF), the Bor Group, the South Sudan Independence Group (SSIG), and various tribal forces such as the Mundari, Murle, and Fertit.
• The 'Framework Agreement on Security Arrangements' signed on 25 September 2003 omitted the SSDF, designating only the SPLM/A as the southern security agent, which the report identifies as a major threat to the success of the IGAD Sudan Peace Initiative.
• The GoS has attempted to maintain control over the SSDF through a policy of division and by appointing approximately 60 SSDF commanders to senior ranks in the national army in January 2004, a move that has increased tensions with the SPLM/A.
• The report argues that the international community, specifically the United States, has failed to recognize the SSDF as a military threat to the peace process, operating on the false assumption that internal southern security is solely the responsibility of the SPLM/A.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2004). The South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF): A challenge to the Sudan Peace Process. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SUDANAPR04.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. The South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF): A challenge to the Sudan Peace Process. 2004. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SUDANAPR04.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=The South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF): A challenge to the Sudan Peace Process |date=8 April 2004 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SUDANAPR04.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2004south, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{The South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF): A challenge to the Sudan Peace Process}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2004}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SUDANAPR04.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }