SPLM-N Hilu dismisses split as ‘flimsy play’ by Sudan’s intelligence
February 2, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s SPLM-N, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, on Tuesday dismissed the announcement of a split within its ranks and the subsequent alliance of breakaway members with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) as a “flimsy play.”
Last week, dozens of SPLM-N members submitted their resignations, protesting al-Hilu’s signing of a political charter that could lead to an autonomous authority in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
At a news conference in Port Sudan on Tuesday, a member of the splinter group, Mohamed Al-Jak Salaheddin, said the split was caused by al-Hilu’s alleged “selling out” of the Nuba cause to the Tagadum , his unilateral decision-making, and the detention of dissenters. He also accused al-Hilu of bringing war to the Nuba Mountains.
Salaheddin said al-Hilu’s signing of the Nairobi Charter occurred without consultation with the group’s Liberation Council, claiming this meant he had “joined hands with traitors and betrayed the Sudanese people, which is unacceptable to the movement’s members.”
Salaheddin said the group chose to join JEM because of a convergence in their “manifestos,” adding they would work to defeat any “traitor and rebel.” “We salute Commander Karbino and tell the political leadership of JEM that we are at your command,” he said.
The splinter group reportedly includes 14 officers and 450 fighters. They have formed a faction under the JEM banner called the “Justice and Equality Movement – Sandy Strip faction.”
The SPLM-N, however, characterized the defection as a “flimsy and repetitive play,” part of a scenario orchestrated by government intelligence and security services in Port Sudan.
Jatiqo Amoja Dalman, head of the SPLM-N National Liberation Council’s Information Committee, told Sudan Tribune that the event was “a psychological expression of the political and diplomatic defeats suffered by the authority in Port Sudan, the latest of which was the signing of the Founding Sudan Charter.”
Dalman said Mohamed Al-Jak Salaheddin was dismissed from the SPLM-N in 2010 for organizational violations and later joined the People’s Movement for Democratic Change, led by Lam Akol. That party was dissolved after the secession of South Sudan.
“Since that time, we have not heard of him until today, when he appeared on a platform with officers from the security and intelligence services in a familiar dramatic scene,” Dalman said.
Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the claims of either side.
The SPLM-N led by al-Hilu, based in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile regions, has long fought for greater autonomy for marginalized groups in Sudan. The conflict in Sudan has displaced millions and caused a severe humanitarian crisis. The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) is based in the Darfur region, and also claims to fight for the rights of marganilized people in Sudan.