Sudan: merging the southern rebels with a split group

The Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) and Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) ( the united group) -- a group split since 1991 and works in the upper Nile area in the central west, announced yesterday merging with the government in the course of the efforts to expand the peace process in Sudan.

In a joint statement, the two groups announced that they have agreed to immediate merging. The statement said the two movements considered the peace process as the "only fruitful and more credible forum to solve the conflict in Sudan." It noted that the two movements will merge their two forces and political structures.

Analysts consider that the merging is the first step to unify all armed groups in southern Sudan and including them in the peace process.