Where does SLM-AW stand in Sudan's new war?
Long-time Darfur rebel group is still neutral—but for how long?
ANALYSIS
The Rapid Support Forces’ recent takeover of most of Darfur has raised questions about its relationship with the long-time rebel group led by Abdelwahid al-Nur.
Twenty years ago, al-Nur’s Sudan Liberation Movement/Army launched a rebellion that has never really ended. The group, which is abbreviated SLM-AW or SLA-AW to distinguish it from other factions of the same name, controls the Marra Mountains. These mountains are both a military stronghold and the historic heart of the Fur territory for which Darfur is named. The Fur are the largest non-Arab ethnic group in Darfur.
Although fighting died down in recent years between al-Nur’s rebels and the Sudanese security forces, particularly after the 2019 revolution, the movement rejected the 2020 Juba peace deal that brought several other Darfur rebel groups into government.
Abdelwahid instead continued to voice deep skepticism of Khartoum’s political process, its new transitional government, and its security forces. When the Sudan A…