They consequently approached the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for support. They appointed a local official of mixed ethnicity as militia leader,[19] Atom Al-Nour (also transliterated "El Tom El Nour"[8] or "Eltom Elnur").[9] The Sudanese government began to support the militia in 1986,[20] while Captain Raphael Kitang, a retired army officer, became one of its most important commanders.[17] The Army of Peace initially operated autonomous and exclusively in the surroundings of Wau, where it defended local villages from insurgents from 1986 to early 1987. Already at a very early stage, however, the militia became notorious for many human rights violations such as the assassination of critical Fertit and Dinka tribal leaders as well as politicians, and most notably the indiscriminate killing and torture of Dinka civilians,[21] including the murder of children and pregnant women.[22]