Sudan’s SLM faction splits after Minawi dismisses top officials
August 7, 2025 (KAMPALA) – A faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) announced on Thursday the formation of a rival leadership body, escalating an internal crisis just hours after the movement’s chairman, Minni Arko Minawi, dismissed them and ordered an investigation into their activities.
The split exposes deep divisions within the armed group, which, under Minawi’s leadership as governor of the Darfur region, fights alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The crisis began on Wednesday when Minawi issued a decree relieving three senior officials of their duties: Legal Advisor Mahmoud Koreina, Economic Affairs Advisor Adam al-Nur, and Media Advisor Mustafa al-Jamil. The decree also froze their memberships and recommended that they face a formal inquiry.
A source within the SLM leadership told Sudan Tribune the dismissals were prompted by violations of the movement’s internal regulations. The source accused the officials of holding unauthorized meetings with “hostile alliances and bodies.”
“The movement received confirmed information that the group has been working for the Rapid Support Forces since the first months of the war,” the source alleged, adding that they planned to join the RSF-dominated “Tasis” alliance and a parallel government structure.
Rival body formed in Kampala
In a swift response, the dismissed officials held a press conference in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on Thursday to announce their own “leadership body.” They stated its purpose is to secure resources for and organize a general conference within the next 60 days, after which it will be dissolved.
The new body will be chaired by Mahmoud Koreina, the recently dismissed legal advisor. Other prominent members include Political Advisor Mutawakil Mohamed Ali, Head of the European Union Offices Essam al-Haj, and Political Secretary al-Fadil Altijani.
During the press conference, the leaders launched a series of accusations against Minawi. Altijani accused him of “sliding into populist and tribal rhetoric” and making unilateral decisions that harmed the movement. He announced the start of “genuine institutional reforms to restore organizational and political balance.”
Essam Al-Haj accused Minnawi of siding with the national conflict without consulting the movement’s institutions. “The civilian and military leadership of the movement made strenuous efforts to stop this slide and involvement in the war,” Al-Haj said. “Despite repeated promises from the chairman to correct the course, he took no practical steps.”
He noted that calls for reform are not new, dating back to 2015. “Minawi has been the chairman of the movement for 20 years,” al-Haj added, pointing out that the last general conference was held in Haskanita in 2005.
Mahmoud Koreina, the head of the new body, delivered the sharpest critique, claiming the SLM’s leadership had “deviated from the movement’s revolutionary line.” He asserted that a group of Islamists had hijacked the movement’s political position and that the SLM was now “fighting proxy wars alongside Islamists.”