March 12 (Reuters) - Renegade militia leader George Athor said his forces attacked Malakal, the capital of south Sudan's oil-producing Upper Nile state, on Saturday, the latest in a series of bloody clashes. [ID:nHEA218960]
Following are some facts about Athor, one of the biggest threats to the stability of Sudan's south as it prepares for independence on July 9.
MILITARY SERVICE
-- George Athor was an influential commander in the southern army and veteran of the south's long civil war with the north before he rebelled last year.
Records show he remained loyal to then southern rebel leader John Garang during a major rift in the movement in the 1990s. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general.
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
-- Athor was one of a handful of prominent members of the south's dominant Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) who felt overlooked when the party nominated candidates for last April's presidential and legislative elections.
He stood as an independent for the governorship of the south's swampy Jonglei state and lost to SPLM incumbent Kuol Manyang.
FIRST FIGHTING
-- The first sign of Athor's revolt came in an attack on a southern army barracks on Doleib Hill, on the border with neighbouring Upper Nile state in late April 2010.
The southern army said Athor's men, backed up by supporters inside the barracks, seized arms and ammunition. Athor denied direct involvement in the attack, saying soldiers loyal to him rebelled after receiving orders to arrest him.
NORTHERN ACCUSATIONS
-- SPLM leaders have accused Khartoum of flying in arms and cash for Athor's troops in a bid to destabilise the region. They say Khartoum wants to keep control of the south's oil. Both Athor and Khartoum dismiss the accusations.
DEMANDS
-- Athor's demands have varied over time. Soon after his revolt, he accused the SPLM of rigging the election. He told Reuters he wanted Manyang to be replaced as governor of Jonglei, the removal of the state's county commissioners, the re-run of all elections and an amnesty for his troops.
Several times over the following months, he said he was ready for talks about unspecified democratic reforms. Both sides continue to say they are open to reconciliation.
FIGHTING FORCE
-- Reports of the size of Athor's rebel force have varied widely. The southern army said he attacked the Doleib barracks with up to 140 men.
In later clashes, the army said he only had a handful of supporters left, most loyalists from his home Pigi county. Southern army spokesman Philip Aguer said in February he thought Athor had about 2,000 troops.
Athor himself says he leads a force of thousands, capable of taking major centres across the south. The southern army said Athor's men have been laying landmines.
FEARS
-- U.N. officials and other analysts feared Athor was planning to join forces with other renegade militia leaders who either launched or threatened uprisings at the same time.
Athor's forces have remained focused in remote border areas between Jonglei and Upper Nile. The attack on Malakal, which he saud was launched by an ally called Oliny, could mark an escalation in his campaign.
TRUCE
-- Athor finally agreed a truce with Juba in early January, days before voting started in south Sudan's independence referendum, a vote promised in the 2005 accord that ended Sudan's north-south civil war.
Southerners overwhelmingly voted for independence in results released in early February. Celebrations were marred by a series of outbreaks of violence, capped by the clashes between the SPLA and Athor's forces in Jonglei mid February, which left more than 200 dead. Both sides accused each other of starting the fighting.
BACKGROUND
-- Both Athor and Kuol Manyang are members of the south's Dinka people, though from different sub-groups. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens and Jeremy Clarke in Juba; Editing by Matthew Jones)
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