n to the established government has been strong, but long-standing enmity between tribes has succeeded in splintering even the main rebel group. Colonel John Garang initially united the rebellious south under the banner of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA ), which has championed the cause of a liberated, secular Sudan offering an equal voice to the financially and ethnically repressed south. The other principal rebel faction is the SPLA-Nasir/United group, which broke away from Garang and his followers in 1991. The SPLA-Torit has successfully blocked completion of pipelines from the rich oil fields in the south and the construction of a critical waterway, the Jonglei Canal; Moore observes, "If Egypt is the gift of the Nile, then whoever controls the Nile controls Egypt." Rebels see both projects as symbols of the continued repression and exploitation of the south by the wealthier north.
In the face of this active opposition, however, "the government has not only strengthened its political and economic base, it has regained military mo
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