Sudan People ' s Liberation Army The Sudan People ' s Liberation Army ( SPLA ) is the army of the Republic of South Sudan . The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement in 1983 and was a key protagonist of the Second Sudanese Civil War . Throughout the war , it was led by John Garang de Mabior . Following John Garang ' s death , Salva Kiir Mayardit was named the new Commander - in - Chief of SPLA . As of 2013 , the SPLA was estimated to have 210 , 000 soldiers and an unknown number of personnel in the small South Sudan Air Force . The SPLA is divided into divisions of 10 , 000 - 14 , 000 soldiers . Following the independence of South Sudan in 2011 the SPLA became the regular army of the new republic . History . In 1983 a number of mutinies broke out in the barracks of the Sudanese army in the southern regions , most notably in Bor . These mutineers would form the nucleus of SPLA . By June 1983 the majority of mutineers had moved to Ethiopia , or were on their way towards Gambella . The Ethiopian government decided to support the nascent SPLA was a means of revenging the Sudanese government support to Eritrean rebels . SPLA was led by Commander - in - Chief John Garang de Mabior . SPLA struggled for a united and secular Sudanese state . Garang stated that the struggle of the South Sudanese was the same as that of marginalized groups in the north , such as the Nuba and Fur people s . Until 1985 , SPLA directed its public denouncements of the Sudanese government specifically at Nimeiri . During the years that followed , SPLA propaganda denounced the Khartoum government as a family affair that played on sectarian tensions . SPLA denounced the introduction of sharia law in September 1983 . War in the 1980s . In the village of Bilpam , the first full - fledged SPLA battalion graduated in 1984 . The name ' Bilpam ' would carry a great symbolic importance for SPLA for years to come , as the epicentre of the uprising . After Bilpam , other SPLA training camps were established at Dimma , Bonga and Panyido . In the mid - 1980s the SPLA armed struggle had blocked the development projects of the Sudanese government , such as the Jonglei Canal and the Bentiu Oil Fields . SPLA launched its first advance in Equatoria in 1985 - 1986 . During this campaign , SPLA were confronted by a number of pro - government militias . The conduct of SPLA forces was chaotic , with many atrocities against the civilian population . The SPLA drove out around 35 , 000 Uganda n refugees ( that had settled in Equatoria since the early 1980s ) back into Uganda . SPLA had a complicated relationship with Anyanya II . Anyanya II forces blocked the expansion of SPLA between 1984 and 1987 , as Anyanya II attacked SPLA recruits heading towards the SPLA based in Ethiopia . Anyanya II also attacked civilians believed to be SPLA supporters . The conflict between Anyanya II and SPLA had a political dimension , as Anyanya II sought to build an independent South Sudanese state . SPLA did however try to win over the leaders of Anyanya II to their fold . The Anyanya II commander Gordon Kong Chuol aligned with SPLA in late 1987 . Other sectors of Anyanya II would follow his example over the coming years , rendering the remainder of Anyanya II ( allied with the Sudanese government ) marginalized . Another force which confronted SPLA were the " Murahaleen " militias in northern Bahr el - Ghazal . Warfare between SPLA and " Muraleheen " began in 1987 . By 1988 SPLA controlled most of the northern Bahr el - Ghazal . Unlike the Anyanya II , however , the " Murahaleen " had no political ambitions . Political openings . SPLA boycotted the 1986 elections . In half of the constituencies of southern Sudan elections could not be held due to the SPLA boycott . On November 15 , 1988 SPLA entered into an alliance with the DUP . The two parties had agreed on the lifting of the state of emergency and abolition of sharia law . The press release was made public through an announcement on Radio SPLA . After DUP rejoined the government , a ceasefire with SPLA was achieved . After the elections , negotiations between SPLA and Sadiq al - Mahdi had been started . But the talks were aborted as SPLA shot down a civilian airplane . 60 people were killed in the attack . With the NIF coup d ' état in 1989 , all peace talks ended . SPLA launched a major offensive between 1989 and the fall of the Ethiopian Derg government in 1991 . It captured various towns , such as Bor , Waat , Yambio , Kaya , Kajo - Kaji , Nimule , Kapoeta , Torit , Akobo and Nasir . By the middle of 1991 , SPLA controlled most parts of southern Sudan with the exception of the major garrison towns ( Juba , Yei , Malakal and Wau ) Between January 21 and January 29 , 1990 SPLA shelled Juba town . SPLA forces also moved into the Nuba Mountains and the southern parts of the Blue Nile State . In comparison with its 1985 - 1986 offensive in Equatoria , the conduct of SPLA was now more orderly . 1991 : Setback and split . But the downfall of the Derg government in Ethiopia in May 1991 caused a major set - back . The Ethiopian government had provided the SPLA with military supplies , training facilities and safe - haven for bases during 18 years . Soon after the change of government in Ethiopia , SPLA accompanied hundreds of thousands of refugees back into Sudan . A split in SPLA had simmered since late 1990 , as Lam Akol and Riek Machar began to question Garang ' s leadership . Lam Akol began secretly contacting SPLA officers to join his side , especially amongst the Nuer people and Shilluk people . The situation deteriorated after the fall of the Derg . As the Derg regime crumbled , Lam Akol published a document titled " Why Garang Must Go Now " . The split was made public on August 28 , 1991 in what became known as the Nasir Declaration . The dissidents called for democratization of SPLA and a stop to human rights abuses . Moreover , the dissidents called for an independent South Sudan ( in contrast to the SPLA line of creating a united and secular Sudan ) . Kong Coul joined the rebellion . The ' SPLA - Nasir ' was joined by the SPLA forces in Ayod , Waat , Adok , Abwong , Ler and Akobo . A period of chaos reigned inside SPLA , as it was not clear which units sided with Garang and which units sided with SPLA - Nasir . Garang issued a statement through the SPLA radio communications system , denouncing the coup . Nine out of eleven ( excluding himself ) SPLA / M PMHC members sided with Garang . The mainstream SPLA led by John Garang was based in Torit . The two SPLA factions fought each other , including attacks on civilians in the home turf of their opponents . Battles of 1992 . As of 1992 the Sudanese government launched a major offensive against SPLA , which was weakened by the split with SPLA - Nasir . SPLA lost control of Torit ( where SPLA was headquartered ) , Bor , Yirol , Pibor , Pochalla and Kapoeta . SPLA made two attacks on Juba in June – July 1992 . SPLA nearly captured the town . After the attacks , the Sudanese government forces committed harsh reprisals against the civilian population . Summary executions of suspected SPLA collaborators were carried out . On September 27 , 1992 the deputy commander - in - chief of SPLA , William Nyuon , defected and took a section of fighters with him . SPLA re - captured Bor on November 29 , 1991 . Mid - 1990 ' s . As of the mid - 1990s , the majority of the population of Southern Sudan lived in areas under the control of either the mainstream SPLA or SPLA - Nasir . 2005 Peace Deal . In 2004 , a year before the peace deal , the Coalition to Stop Child Soldiers , estimated that there were between 2 , 500 and 5 , 000 children serving in the SPLA . Following the signing of the CPA , a transformation process of SPLA began . This process was actively supported through funding from the United States . In 2005 , John Garang restructured the top leadership of SPLA , with a Chief of General Staff , Lt . Gen . Oyay Deng Ajak , and four Deputy Chiefs of General Staff ; Maj . Gen . Salva Mathok Gengdit ( Administration ) , Maj . Gen . Bior Ajang Aswad ( Operations ) , Maj . Gen . James Hoth Mai ( Logistics ) and Maj . Gen . Obuto Mamur Mete ( Political and Moral Orientation ) . Ministry of Defence . In 2007 , the SPLA was further organised into the Ministry of Defence . Gen . Dominic Dim Deng an SPLA veteran and distinguished General , was chosen to become the first Minister for SPLA Affairs subsequently the first political officer of the SPLA . Gen . Dim died in a plane crash in 2008 alongside his wife Madam Josephine Apieu Jenaro Aken and other SPLA officers . He is buried alongside his wife at the SPLA headquarters in Bilpham , Juba . The Government of Southern Sudan named the SPLA headquarters outside Juba ' Bilpam ' . Work on a national security strategy began in late 2012 . Organisation and equipment . Current organisation . As of 2013 , the SPLA was organised into a 210 , 000 - person strong army comprising nine light infantry divisions and a small air force . At this time the government was planning to reduce the size of the military . Equipment . As of 2013 the SLPA ' s land forces operated the following heavy equipment : As of 2013 the South Sudan Air Force operated the following aircraft : Defence expenditure . According to the 2013 edition of the International Institute for Strategic Studies ' report " The Military Balance " , South Sudan ' s defence budgets since 2011 have been as follows :