War of the Peters

War of the Peters
Part of the Second Sudanese Civil War
Bentiu Nhialdiu Koch Thar Jath Nyal
Date June 2000 – August 2001 Location Unity State, Sudan Result Ceasefire Peter Par Jiek and Peter Gadet unite their forces against the government
Belligerents
SPDF SSDF  Sudan	SPLA-Mainstream
Commanders and leaders
Peter Par Jiek Paulino Matip Nhial	Peter Gadet
Casualties and losses
Many killed, c. 60,000 displaced

The War of the Peters^[1][2] was a conflict primarily fought between the forces of Peter Par Jiek and Peter Gadet from June 2000 to August 2001 in Unity State, Sudan. Though both were leaders of local branches of larger rebel groups that were involved in the Second Sudanese Civil War (the SPDF and SPLA, respectively), the confrontation between the two commanders was essentially a private war. As Par and Gadet battled each other, the Sudanese government exploited the inter-rebel conflict as part of a divide and rule strategy, aimed at weakening the rebellion at large and allowing for the extraction of valuable oil in Unity State. In the end, Gadet and Par reconciled when their respective superiors agreed to merge the SPDF and SPLA.