| Country: | Sudan |
| Details of Formation: | Commander Gabriel Tanginya has been fighting for the government as early as 1998. However, it is not clear whether his forces were part of the SSDF then, because they were rather known as pro-government Nuer militias. In an interview in 1999, Tanginya’s militia was mentioned to be part of the SSDF (Human Rights Watch 2003). |
| Details of Termination: | In September 2007, a news source reports that a Major-General Gabriel Tange of the Southern Sudan Defence Forces, probably referring to Gabriel Tanginya from the South Sudan Defence Forces, laid down the arms of the militia in order to form a new party, called Southern Sudan Defence Party. As the SSDF Tanginya faction is not mentioned by news or meta sources after that date, it can be assumed that it became terminated that month. In 2011, a news source mentions a fight between the SPLA and “Tanginya’s forces”. There is neiterh evidence that these forces were part of the SSDF instead of a new militia loyal to Tanginya; nor is there evidence that these Tanginya’s forces were pro-government. Tanginya continued to operate forces in South Sudan and he was killed in 2017 (Human Rights Watch 2018). |
| Purpose: | The Sudanese government used the PGM to conduct scorched earth campaigns. |
| Organisation: | This PGM’s leader was Maj-Gen Gabriel Gatwech Chan, commonly known as Tanginya. He was an officer in the Sudanese army. After SSDF’s leader Paulino Matiep defected to the SPLA in 2006, Tanginya became the leader of the remaining pro-government SSDF forces. He was supported by the Sudanese Armed Forces and was funded by the government. Tanginya had been a commander in the formal SSDF, but also had direct contact to the government (Human Rights Watch 2003). |
| Weapons and Training: | -- |
| Size: | In 1999, the SSDF claimed that its Tanginya faction had between 2,000 to 3,000 forces (Human Rights Watch 2003). |
| Reason for Membership: | -- |
| Treatment of Civilians: | Tanginya’s forces conducted a scorched earth campaign against Shilluk civilians. As a consequence, 100,000 Shilluk were forcibly displaced and their homed burned. The PGM enjoyed impunity for their crimes. In 2006, Tanginya’s militia wounded civilians, looted a compound belonging to an NGO and abducted civilians. |
| Other Information: | Press reports refer to this group as South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF) loyal to Gabriel Tanginya, militias loyal to Tanginya, Nuer militias under the command of Tanguinya, etc. In this database, the group is called South Sudan Defence Forces - Tanginya Faction (SSDF Tanginya). Tanginya is sometimes also called Gabriel Tanginya, Gabriel Tanguinya, Gabriel Tang Ginye. |
| References: |
Human Rights Watch. 2003. “Sudan, Oil and Human Rights.” ISBN: 1564322912 Human Rights Watch. 2018. “South Sudan: Warring Parties Break Promises on Child Soldiers.” February 5. https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/05/south-sudan-warring-parties-break-promises-child-soldiers Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD |