Muraheleen

Muraheleen
المراحلين
Dates of operation	1983–2005
Merged into	Popular Defence Forces in 1989 (officially) Janjaweed
Country	Sudan
Allegiance	Sudanese Armed Forces
Group(s)	Baggara Arabs Rizeigat tribe Messiria tribe
Motives	Baggara Arabs's tribal interests Anti-black racism Tribalism Arab nationalism Islamism
Active regions	Bahr el Ghazal Nuba Mountains southern Darfur southern Kordofan
Major actions	1987 Dhein Massacre 1988 Bahr el Ghazal famine 1998 Bahr el Ghazal famine Dinka enslavement Darfur genocide
Status	Defunct
Allies	Janjaweed Popular Defence Forces
Opponents	Dinka and Nuer people (SPLM/A) Nuba people
Battles and wars	Second Sudanese Civil War
Succeeded by Popular Defence Forces (de jure) Janjaweed (de facto)

The Muraheleen (Arabic: المراحلين, can be spelled as Murahilin or Murahleen), also known as al-Maraheel (Arabic: المراحيل), were tribal militias primarily composed of Rizeigat and Messiria tribes from western Sudan. They were armed since 1983 by successive Sudanese government to suppress the insurgency of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Their activities included raiding Dinka villages, looting cattle, abducting women and children, scorched earth, and causing widespread destruction. The Muraheleen were notorious for their brutal tactics, which contributed to famine and displacement among the affected populations.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Muraheleen played a crucial role in the government's counter-insurgency strategy, benefiting from state support in the form of weapons, ammunition, and logistical assistance. Their actions were characterised by severe human rights abuses, including ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

Their role diminished after the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which aimed to end the civil war.