| Country: | Sudan |
| Details of Formation: | There is no information on the exact formation of the Murle Forces. A news source from Jan. 1, 1981 already mentions them as an active PGM. |
| Details of Termination: | After the comprehensive peace agreement was signed in 2005, Murle leader Kony joined the SPLM-dominated government of South Sudan. In 2006, most Murle Forces had joined the SPLM/A. However, according to the SPLM/A secretary-general for Jonglei State Antipas Nyok De-Kucha, some did not join the SPLM/A and instead continued to be supported by the Sudanese Armed Forces. This claim is not supported by other sources. In 2007, some ethnic Murle raided civilians and perpetrating abductions. Since 2010, the ethnic Murle SSDM/A led by David Yau Yau and allegedly supported by the government of Sudan fought against the SPLM/A (Human Rights Watch 2003). Although a Murle militia, it is not clear whether they were related to the former Murle Forces, or whether its recruits were merely ethnic Murle. Similarly, it is dificult to assess whether the ethnic Murle active in raiding in 2007 were remnants of the PGM or rather were forces of the Murle people unrelated to the government. The PGM is coded terminated in 2005 because there is insufficient evidence that the Murle Forces as such remained a PGM after 2006. |
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the Murle Forces was to assist the government in its fight against the SPLM/A rebels. |
| Organisation: | The Murle Forces fought alongside the government army (UCDP). They were led by Chief Ismail Konyi, a leader of the Murle tribe (alternative spelling: Kenyi). Ismail Konyi had a long-term relationship with the Sudanese Armed Forces, dating back to the 1980s (Arnold 2007). In the late 1990s, the Murle Forces joined the umbrella PGM Southern Sudan Defence Force (SSDF), which the government backed financially and with military logistics. |
| Weapons and Training: | The Murli Forces received weapons from the Sudanese government, including Kalashnikovs and other automatic weapons. |
| Size: | The Murle Forces are recruited from the Murle ethnic group, which numbers around 300,000 to 400,000 members (UCDP). The number of Murle being part of the Murle Forces is unknown. One news source says that in 2006, 3,000 of them joined the SPLM/A. |
| Reason for Membership: | Soldiers were very loyal to murle commander Ismail Konyi, because Konyi consistently supported them financially (Arnold 2007). |
| Treatment of Civilians: | -- |
| Other Information: | The Murle Forces are recruited from the Murle (or Meurli) ethnic group which lives primarily in the Pibor district in the Jonglei state in Southern Sudan (UCDP). They are hostile to the SPLM/A rebel movement, which is also residing in the area. In 1986, the Murle Forces established a political and military alliance with the Anyanya II PGM. |
| References: |
Arnold, Matthew B. 2007. “The South Sudan Defence Force: patriots, collaborators or spoilers?” Journal of Modern African Studies 45 (4): 489-516. Human Rights Watch. 2013. “‘They Are Killing Us’: Abuses Against Civilians in South Sudan’s Pibor County.” September. ISBN: 978-1-62313-0541 Uppsala Conflict Data Program. 2019. “Murle.” https://www.ucdp.uu.se/actor/655 Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD |