Against a background of continuing civil war and failed peace-making, this study attempts to get beyond the public face of the SPLM-IO as represented by those at the peace talks and provide analysis and background of the many dimensions of the SPLM-IO. Specifically, it considers the formation of the SPLM-IO, identifies the organization’s mode of operation and key political and military actors, and reports on its conferences at Nasir and Pagak in formulating its direction and maintaining a fragile unity among the fractious rebels.
