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SPLA/M, the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, was the armed force led by John Garang during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Formed in 1983, the SPLA/M fought for the rights of the marginalized southern Sudanese against the government in Khartoum. The conflict ended in 2005 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which granted Southern Sudan autonomy and paved the way for its eventual independence in 2011.