The Zande people of the southern equatorial region of Sudan have come out in criticism of their treatment by Dinka elements of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. Since the SPLA took over the region in 1990, after a military operation against the Khartoum-based government, the Zande claim they have been victims of serious human rights abuses and repression at the hands of the SPLA. They presented a list of grievances to the SPLA cataloguing instances of abduction of women and children – to be brought up as Dinkas – assassinations and torture of community leaders, and forced marriages. The SPLA denies the charges, but admits “internal” differences among the Zande and Dinka members of the movement.
