South Sudan
South Sudan, 2011 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
South Sudan, officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Following the First Sudanese Civil War, the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. The Second Sudanese Civil War broke out in 1983 and ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011, following 98.8% support for independence in a January 2011 referendum.
Seat of power: Juba
Rulers
Salva Kiir Mayardit
President of South Sudan, 2011 to today
He has served as the President of South Sudan since its independence on 9 July 2011. Prior to independence, he was the President of the Government of Southern Sudan, as well as First Vice President of Sudan, from 2005 to 2011. Kiir won re-election as President following the 2010 South Sudanese general election.
Portrait of Salva Kiir Mayardit: Ssunaronald, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
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Culture
- South Sudan descended into the South Sudanese Civil War from 2013 to 2018, enduring rampant human rights abuses, including forced displacement, ethnic massacres, and killings of journalists by various parties.
- It has since been governed by a coalition formed by leaders of the former warring factions, Salva Kiir Mayardit (SPLM) and Riek Machar (SPLM-IO).
- The majority of inhabitants adhere to Christianity or various traditional indigenous faiths, with a sizeable Muslim minority.
- The Nile River system is the defining physical feature of the country, running south to north across its center, which is dominated by a large swamp known as the Sudd.
Picture
Juba is the capital and largest city of South Sudan, situated on the White Nile.
Image: Jens Klinzing, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.