The
Sudan People's Liberation Movement (
SPLM) (,
Al-Haraket Al-Sha'ebiyet Li-Tahrir Al-Sudan) is a political party in
South Sudan. It was initially founded as the political wing of the
Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA, key protagonist of the
Second Sudanese Civil War) in 1983. On January 9, 2005 the SPLA, SPLM and Government of Sudan signed a
Comprehensive Peace Agreement, ending the civil war. SPLM then obtained representation in the
Government of Sudan, and was the main constituent of the
Government of the then semi-autonomous Southern Sudan. When
South Sudan became a sovereign state on 9 July 2011, SPLM became the ruling party of the new republic. SPLM branches in Sudan separated themselves from SPLM, forming the
Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North. Further factionalism appeared as a result of the 2013-2014 South Sudanese Civil War, with President Salva Kiir leading the
SPLM-Juba and former Vice President Riek Machar leading the
SPLM-IO.