Minni Minnawi

Minnawi was rewarded for signing the peace agreement with a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush in July 2006

Minni Arcua Minnawi (born about 1972) is the leader of the largest faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army.

Under Minnawi's leadership, his SLA faction signed a peace agreement, known as the May agreement, with the Khartoum government in May 2006. Nevertheless, fighting has continued with Minnawi's group fighting other SLA factions. In July 2006, fighting broke out around the northern Darfur town Korma, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 people. Minnawi was appointed the top Sudanese official in the Darfur region, as chairman of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority, and is the fourth ranking member of the Presidency, as Senior Assistant to the President of the Republic.

On September 14, 2006, Minnawi broke ranks with the Sudanese government when he stated that he does not object to the new UN peacekeeping force detailed in UNSC Resolution 1706.