After the assassination in 1996 of William Nyuon Bany (a chameleon figure sometimes seen as commander of the pro-SPLA wing of Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon's Southern Sudan Independence Movement) his replacement John Luk Jok precipitously declared unity with the SPLA...
This triggered defections to Riek Machar by fellow-Nuer commanders; Luk came under pressure from Nuer leaders to distance himself from Garang but the damage was done...
It doesn't mention fighting between Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon and rival Nuer forces in Upper Nile or its regular and indiscriminate bombardments of SPLA areas or the formation of the New Sudan Brigade...
It signed a Political Charter in April with Riek Machar Teny (Southern Sudan Independence Movement) Karabino Kuanyin Bol (a Dinka former deputy of John Garang long gaoled by him) and Arok Thon Arok (ditto)...
Riek Machar and Karabino Kuanyin are supposed to help build this ring-fence; though once an army major (intelligence) and successively John Garang' s and Riek' s security chief Arok Thon has no troops: he competes with his clansman Garang for Bor loyalty...
The goverrnment's only military success here lay in getting Riek Machar head of the Southern Sudan Independence Movement to sign a 'Political Charter' in April...
On 10 April it signed a 'Political Charter' with Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon head of the Southern Sudan Independence Army and Karabino Kuanyin Bol Garang's former deputy then his prisoner for nearly six years and latterly an 'independent' commander in his native Gogrial area where he received arms from the government and his fighters were accused of atrocities against civilians...