South Sudanese Army

The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), also called Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M), is the military force of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a key participant of the Second Sudanese Civil War and the subsequent independence of South Sudan. It was led by John Garang, who died in 2005 and was succeeded by Salva Kiir. As of 2010, the SPLA was divided into divisions of 10,000–14,000 soldiers.