The signing of a peace deal ending the Second Sudanese Civil War between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army prompted speculation that a more stable Sudan would help end the LRA insurgency. In late January, SPLA leader John Garang pledged that he would not allow the LRA to operate in the south once he gained formal control of the region While Garang died in a helicopter crash several months later, this did not appear to shake the close cooperation between the SPLA and Uganda.