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71-715: The city of Malakal is located along the White Nile, in upper Nile state, South Sudan , close to the International borders with the Republic of Sudan and with Ethiopia . The town is located on the banks of the White Nile , just north of its confluence with the Sobat River . This location lies approximately 650 kilometres (400 mi), by road, directly north of Juba , the capital and largest city of South Sudan . Historically, Malakal

142-515: A transitional constitution shortly before independence on 9 July 2011. The constitution was signed by the President of South Sudan , Salva Kiir Mayardit , on Independence Day and thereby came into force. It is now the supreme law of the land, superseding the Interim Constitution of 2005. The constitution establishes a presidential system of government headed by a president who

213-419: A January 2011 referendum and is the most recent country to be formed. It is the most recent sovereign state with widespread recognition as of 2024 . South Sudan descended into a civil war from 2013 to 2020, 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

284-510: A constitutional amendment. In November the South Sudanese parliament empowered President Kiir to create new states. On 14 January 2017 another four states were created; Central Rol Naath, Northern Rol Naath, Tumbura and Maiwut. Under the terms of a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020, South Sudan is again divided into ten states, with two administrative areas and one area with special administrative status. The Kafia Kingi area

355-449: A dissolution of Parliament as part of a 2018 peace deal to set up a new legislative body that will number 550 lawmakers. According to 2023 V-Dem Democracy indices South Sudan is third lowest ranked electoral democracy in Africa . The capital of South Sudan is located at Juba , which is also the state capital of Central Equatoria and the county seat of the eponymous Juba County , and is

426-408: A distinct wet and dry season like all of South Sudan. December and January receive no precipitation at all, and almost no rain falls from November to March. August, the wettest month, receives 163.4 millimetres (6.43 in) of rainfall on average. August also has 14.9 precipitation days, which is the most of any month. Humidity is much higher in the wet season than the dry season, with February having

497-452: A humidity at just 25% and August having a humidity at 80%. Malakal receives 2778.7 hours of sunshine annually on average, with the sunshine being distributed fairly evenly across the year, although it is lower during the wet season. December receives the most sunshine, while July receives the least. A major road linking Malakal with the town of Kurmuk at the border with Ethiopia is under repairs and renovations to asphalt surface. The road

568-683: A number of Muslim and Christian Communities. Many of the Uduk people have converted to Christianity. Other ethnic groups include the Igansina, Jumum and Mufuwu in Kurmuk. In January 1932, Sudanese and Ethiopian officials met at Kurmuk to resolve problems caused by Ethiopian slavers preying on villages in Sudan. In July 1940 during the East African Campaign the town was occupied by advancing Italian troops. Due to

639-564: A peace deal, and on 22 February 2020 formed a national unity government as Machar was sworn in as the First Vice President of the country. Despite the official cessation of the civil war, violence between armed militia groups at the community level has continued in the country; according to Yasmin Sooka , Chair of the Commission of Human Rights in Sudan, the level of violence "far exceeds

710-897: A policy of uniting the North and the South. The region has been negatively affected by two civil wars since Sudanese independence: from 1955 to 1972, the Sudanese government fought the Anyanya rebel army (Anya-Nya is a term in the Madi language which means "snake venom") during the First Sudanese Civil War , followed by the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) in the Second Sudanese Civil War for over twenty years, from 1983 to 2005. As

781-427: A result, the country suffered serious neglect, a lack of infrastructure development, and major destruction and displacement. More than 2.5 million people have been killed, and millions more have become refugees both within and outside the country. South Sudan has an estimated population of 11 million people in 2023 but, given the lack of a census in several decades, this estimate may be severely distorted. The economy

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852-456: A self-determination referendum were also quick to acknowledge the overwhelming result. The Rationalist process included Kenya , Uganda , Egypt , Ethiopia , Libya , Eritrea , the United Kingdom and Norway . Kurmuk Kurmuk ( Arabic : الكرمك ) is a town in south-eastern Sudan near the border with Ethiopia . Kurmuk is inhabited by the Uduk and Berta peoples . Kurmuk is

923-637: A sizeable Muslim minority. South Sudan is a member of the United Nations , African Union , East African Community , and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development . It is one of the least developed countries in the world, ranking second to last in the Human Development Index , ahead of only Somalia , and having the fourth-lowest nominal GDP per capita , after Sierra Leone , Afghanistan and Burundi . The name Sudan

994-701: Is head of state , head of government , and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. It also establishes the National Legislature comprising two houses: a directly elected assembly, the National Legislative Assembly , and a second chamber of representatives of the states, the Council of States . John Garang , one of the founders of the SPLA/M, was the president of the autonomous government until his death on 30 July 2005. Salva Kiir Mayardit , his deputy,

1065-446: Is 28.1 °C (82.6 °F), the average annual high temperature is 34.7 °C (94.5 °F), while the average annual low temperature is 21.5 °C (70.7 °F). The hottest time of year is from February to May (Northern Hemisphere spring), just before the wet season starts. April is the hottest month, having the highest average high at 38.8 °C (101.8 °F) and the highest mean at 31.5 °C (88.7 °F). April also has

1136-764: Is a name given to a geographical region to the south of the Sahara , stretching from Western Africa to eastern Central Africa. The name derives from the Arabic bilād as-sūdān ( بلاد السودان ), or the "Land of the Blacks ". The term was used by Arab traders and travelers in the region to refer to the various indigenous black African cultures and societies that they encountered. The Nilotic people of South Sudan—the Dinka , Anyuak , Bari , Acholi , Nuer , Shilluk , Kaligi (Arabic Feroghe), and others—first entered South Sudan sometime before

1207-491: Is covered in tropical forest, swamps, and grassland. The White Nile passes through the country, passing by Juba. The Sudd is formed by the White Nile , known locally as the Bahr al Jabal , meaning "Mountain Sea". South Sudan's protected area of Bandingilo National Park hosts the second-largest wildlife migration in the world. Surveys have revealed that Boma National Park , west of

1278-553: Is disputed between South Sudan and Sudan and the Ilemi Triangle is disputed between South Sudan and Kenya. The states and administrative areas are once again grouped into the three former historical provinces of the Sudan; Bahr el Ghazal , Equatoria and Greater Upper Nile : Since independence , relations with Sudan have been changing. Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir first announced, in January 2011, that dual citizenship in

1349-618: Is expected to be ready for commissioning by May 2013. The city of Malakal is also served by Malakal International Airport , one of the two International airports in South Sudan , the other being Juba International Airport . Water traffic on the White Nile River can travel as far north as Khartoum in the Republic of Sudan , and as far south as Adok in Lakes State . Malakal has very limited newspapers circulated in hardcopy form. However,

1420-495: Is functionally similar to construction projects in Abuja , Nigeria; Brasília , Brazil; and Canberra , Australia; among other modern-era planned national capitals. It is unclear how the government will fund the project. In September 2011, a spokesman for the government said the country's political leaders had accepted a proposal to build a new capital at Ramciel, a place in Lakes state near

1491-436: Is host to thousands of refugees from South Sudan , many of whom have finally been granted temporary resident status more than a decade later. According to American sources, President Obama officially recognised the new state after Sudan , Egypt , Germany and Kenya were among the first to recognise the country's independence on 8 July 2011. Several states that participated in the international negotiations concluded with

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1562-457: Is now South Sudan. Most of the species recorded were associated with diseases of crops. The true number of species of fungi in South Sudan is probably much higher. In 2006, President Kiir announced that his government would do everything possible to protect and propagate South Sudanese fauna and flora, and seek to reduce the effects of wildfires, waste dumping, and water pollution. The environment

1633-620: Is predominantly rural and relies chiefly on subsistence farming . Around 2005, the economy began a transition from this rural dominance, and urban areas within South Sudan have seen extensive development. Between 9 and 15 January 2011, as a consequence of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement , the South Sudanese independence referendum was held to determine whether South Sudan should become an independent country, separate from Sudan. Following that, 98.83% of those who took part in

1704-523: Is seen between May and October, but the rainy season can commence in April and extend until November. On average May is the wettest month. The season is "influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Zone" and the shift to southerly and southwesterly winds leading to slightly lower temperatures, higher humidity, and more cloud coverage. The now defunct Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly ratified

1775-528: 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 . South Sudan has a population of 12.7 million. Juba is the capital and largest city. Sudan was occupied by Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty and governed as an Anglo-Egyptian condominium until Sudanese independence in 1956. Following the First Sudanese Civil War ,

1846-476: Is threatened by the development of the economy and infrastructure. The country had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 9.45/10, ranking it fourth globally out of 172 countries. Several ecoregions extend across South Sudan: the East Sudanian savanna , Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic , Saharan flooded grasslands (Sudd), Sahelian Acacia savanna , East African montane forests , and

1917-697: The Moru , Mundu , Pöjulu , Avukaya , Baka, and the small groups in Bahr el Ghazal, due to the expansionist policy of their king Gbudwe , in the 18th century. In the 19th century, the Azande fought the French, the Belgians and the Mahdists to maintain their independence. Ottoman Egypt , under the rule of Khedive Ismail Pasha , first attempted to control the region in the 1870s, establishing

1988-557: The Northern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets . South Sudan has a tropical climate, characterized by a rainy season of high humidity and large amounts of rainfall followed by a drier season. The temperature on average is always high with July being the coolest month with average temperatures falling between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and March being the warmest month with average temperatures ranging from 23 to 37 °C (73 to 98 °F). The most rainfall

2059-592: The Republic of South Sudan , is a landlocked country in East Africa . It is bordered on the north by Sudan ; on the east by Ethiopia ; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Uganda and Kenya ; and on the west by Central African Republic . South Sudan's diverse landscape includes vast plains and plateaus, dry and tropical savannahs, inland floodplains, and forested mountains. The Nile River system

2130-479: The Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. A second Sudanese civil war soon broke out in 1983 and ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement . Later that year, southern autonomy was restored when an Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan was formed. South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011, following 98.8% support for independence in

2201-722: The 16th century, established the region's largest state of Equatoria Region. The Dinka is the largest, the Nuer the second-largest, the Zande the third-largest, and the Bari the fourth-largest of South Sudan's ethnic groups. They are found in the Maridi , Yambio , and Tombura districts in the tropical rainforest belt of Western Equatoria , the Adio of Azande client in Yei , Central Equatoria , and Western Bahr el Ghazal . In

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2272-522: The 18th century, the Avungara sib rose to power over the rest of Azande society, a domination that continued into the 20th century. British policies favouring Christian missionaries, such as the Closed District Ordinance of 1922 (see History of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ), and geographical barriers such as the swamplands along the White Nile curtailed the spread of Islam to the south, thus allowing

2343-518: The 54th independent country in Africa (9 July is now celebrated as Independence Day , a national holiday ) and since 14 July 2011, South Sudan is the 193rd member of the United Nations . On 27 July 2011, South Sudan became the 54th country to join the African Union . In September 2011, Google Maps recognized South Sudan as an independent country, after a massive crowdsourcing mapping initiative

2414-561: The Episcopal Church of South Sudan ( Anglican Communion ), Baptist Convention of South Sudan ( Baptist World Alliance ), Presbyterian Church in Sudan ( World Communion of Reformed Churches ). There are also Muslim mosques. Like other parts of the Sahel , Malakal has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification BSh ), with a wet season and a dry season and the temperature being hot year-round. The average annual mean temperature

2485-486: The Ethiopian border, as well as the Sudd wetland and Southern National Park near the border with Congo, provided habitat for large populations of hartebeest , kob , topi , buffalo , elephants, giraffes, and lions. South Sudan's forest reserves also provided habitat for bongo , giant forest hogs , red river hogs , forest elephants, chimpanzees , and forest monkeys . Surveys begun in 2005 by WCS in partnership with

2556-504: The Juba-based 'Citizen' is widely read around the town. In the eve of Independence day on July 9, 2011, The Upper Nile Times online newspaper was launched. The website for this online digital newspaper is no longer active. As of 2005 the population of Malakal was estimated at 129,620. The 2008 Sudanese census, which was boycotted by the South Sudanese government, recorded a population of about 126,500. However, those results are disputed by

2627-405: The North and the South would be allowed, but upon the independence of South Sudan he retracted the offer. He has also suggested an EU-style confederation. Essam Sharaf , Prime Minister of Egypt after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution , made his first foreign visit to Khartoum and Juba in the lead-up to South Sudan's secession. Israel quickly recognized South Sudan as an independent country, and

2698-601: The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and SPLM – in opposition and were subsequently broken. A peace agreement was signed in Ethiopia under threat of United Nations sanctions for both sides in August 2015. Machar returned to Juba in 2016 and was appointed vice president. Following a second breakout of violence in Juba, Machar was replaced as vice-president and he fled the country as

2769-477: The Sudanese military seized Abyei, and it is not clear if the referendum will be held. In October 2015, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir issued a decree establishing twenty-eight states in place of the ten constitutionally established states. The decree established the new states largely along ethnic lines. A number of opposition parties and civil society challenged the constitutionality of this decree and Kiir later resolved to take it to parliament for approval as

2840-558: The Sudd, a vast area of swamp and seasonally flooded grasslands that includes the Zeraf Wildlife Reserve. Little is known of the fungi of South Sudan. A list of fungi in Sudan was prepared by S. A. J. Tarr and published by the then Commonwealth Mycological Institute (Kew, Surrey, UK) in 1955. The list, of 383 species in 175 genera, included all fungi observed within the then boundaries of the country. Many of those records relate to what

2911-463: The administrative center for most of Gindi District, Kolnugura district, Borfa District, Jammus Omm District, Chali District, Penawayu District, Bee District, Balila District and Yabus who find better medical services in Kurmuk. Lt. General and Governor Malik Agar currently names Kurmuk the capital city of Southern Blue Nile . Malik Agar is the former SPLM commander who is currently the governor of Blue Nile state. The population of Kurmuk includes

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2982-483: The authorities in Juba . In 2010, it was estimated that the population of Malakal had grown to about 139,450. Below is a table depicting the estimated population of the city from 1983 until 2010 from all sources: + [2] . 09°33′00″N 31°39′00″E  /  9.55000°N 31.65000°E  / 9.55000; 31.65000 South Sudan South Sudan ( / s uː ˈ d ɑː n , - ˈ d æ n / ), officially

3053-512: The borders with Central Equatoria and Jonglei . Ramciel is considered to be the geographical centre of the country, and the late pro-independence leader John Garang allegedly had plans to relocate the capital there before his death in 2005. The proposal was supported by the Lakes state government and at least one Ramciel tribal chief. The design, planning, and construction of the city will likely take as many as five years, government ministers said, and

3124-536: The civil war, and was utterly destroyed in the process. On October 14, 2016, an assault occurred on many government positions in Malakal, leaving 56 Agwelek assailants killed. The Upper Nile University was founded in 1991. Other schools in the area include St. Iwanga Catholic School and Malakia Primary School. Among the places of worship , they are predominantly Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Diocese of Malakal ( Catholic Church ), Province of

3195-916: The conflict erupted again. Rebel in-fighting has become a major part of the conflict. Rivalry among Dinka factions led by the President and Malong Awan has also led to fighting. In August 2018, another power-sharing agreement came into effect. About 400,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the war, including notable atrocities such as the 2014 Bentiu massacre . Although both men have supporters from across South Sudan's ethnic divides, subsequent fighting has been communal, with rebels targeting members of Kiir's Dinka ethnic group and government soldiers attacking Nuers. More than 4 million people have been displaced, with about 1.8 million of those internally displaced, and about 2.5 million having fled to neighbouring countries, especially Uganda and Sudan. On 20 February 2020, Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar agreed to

3266-499: The continued neglect of the southern region by the Khartoum government led to uprisings, revolts, and the longest civil war on the continent. People affected by the violence included the Dinka , Nuer , Shilluk , Anyuak , Murle , Bari , Mundari , Baka , Balanda Bviri , Boya , Didinga , Jiye , Kakwa , Kaligi , Kuku , Lotuka , Nilotic , Toposa , and Zande . The Azande have had good relations with their neighbours, namely

3337-529: The country's largest city. However, due to Juba's poor infrastructure and massive urban growth, as well as its lack of centrality within South Sudan, the South Sudanese Government adopted a resolution in February 2011 to study the creation of a new planned city to serve as the seat of government. It is planned that the capital city will be changed to the more centrally located Ramciel . This proposal

3408-643: The division of oil revenues, as 75% of all the former Sudan's oil reserves are in South Sudan. The region of Abyei still remains disputed and a separate referendum will be held in Abyei on whether they want to join Sudan or South Sudan. The South Kordofan conflict broke out in June 2011 between the Army of Sudan and the SPLA over the Nuba Mountains . On 9 July 2011, South Sudan became

3479-469: The endemic white-eared kob and Nile Lechwe , as well as elephants, giraffes, common eland , giant eland , oryx , lions, African wild dogs , cape buffalo, and topi (locally called tiang). Little is known about the white-eared kob and tiang, both types of antelope , whose magnificent migrations were legendary before the civil war. The Boma-Jonglei Landscape region encompasses Boma National Park, broad pasturelands and floodplains, Bandingilo National Park, and

3550-524: The former warring factions, Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar . The country continues to recover from the war while experiencing ongoing and systemic ethnic violence . The South Sudanese population is composed mostly of Nilotic peoples spanning a variety of ethnic, tribal, and linguistic groups. It is demographically among the youngest nations in the world, with roughly half its people under 18 years old. The majority of inhabitants adhere to Christianity or various traditional indigenous faiths , with

3621-424: The highest average low at 24.2 °C (75.6 °F). August has the lowest average high at 30.9 °C (87.6 °F) and the lowest mean at 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). January has the lowest average low at 18.5 °C (65.3 °F). For average, July and August are coldest months, which makes summer the coldest season. Malakal receives 731.6 millimetres (28.80 in) of rain over 68.0 precipitation days, with

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3692-414: The move of national institutions to the new capital will be implemented in stages. Prior to 2015, South Sudan was divided into ten states, which also correspond to three historical regions: Bahr el Ghazal , Equatoria , and Greater Upper Nile region which includes Nuerland : The Abyei Area, a small region of Sudan bordering on the South Sudanese states of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, and Bentiu,

3763-889: The numerous ethnic groups living in and around Kurmuk, many of whom feel marginalized by the Islamic tendencies of the central government, the city has been a political hotspot since rebellion against the Islamic regime in 1983. Due to lack of education in Kurmuk County particularly, the Minister/Advisory of the Governor Major General Steven Amath Dicko convened with his Kurmukians in November 2008 in an attempt to tax citizens as means to generate revenues to bring primary schools and secondary educations to every district of

3834-537: The peace agreement that ended the war officially, but the transitional government and opposition agreed in 2022 to move them to late 2024 instead. In September 2024, Kiir's office announced that the elections would be postponed an additional two years, to December 2026. On 20 February 2017, South Sudan and the United Nations declared a famine in parts of former Unity State , with the warning that it could spread rapidly without further action. Over 100,000 people were affected. The UN World Food Programme said that 40% of

3905-471: The population of South Sudan, 4.9 million people, need food urgently. U.N. officials said that President Salva Kiir Mayardit was blocking food deliveries to some areas. Furthermore, UNICEF warned that more than 1 million children in South Sudan were subjected to malnutrition. An outbreak of fall armyworm further threatened sorghum and maize production by July 2017. South Sudan lies between latitudes 3° and 13°N , and longitudes 24° and 36°E . It

3976-455: The president accused Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d'état . Fighting broke out, igniting the South Sudanese Civil War . Ugandan troops were deployed to fight alongside South Sudanese government forces against the rebels. The United Nations has peacekeepers in the country as part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Numerous ceasefires were mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) between

4047-459: The province of Equatoria in the southern portion. Egypt's first appointed governor was Samuel Baker , commissioned in 1869, followed by Charles George Gordon in 1874, and by Emin Pasha in 1878. The Mahdist Revolt of the 1880s destabilized the nascent province, and Equatoria ceased to exist as an Egyptian outpost in 1889. Important settlements in Equatoria included Lado , Gondokoro , Dufile , and Wadelai . European colonial manoeuvrings in

4118-408: The province of South Kordofan after conflict with Sudanese forces in the South Sudanese state of Unity . South Sudan withdrew on 20 March, and the Sudanese Army entered Heglig two days later. On the 5th of September 2013, an article written by analyst Duop Chak Wuol was published by the US-based South Sudan News Agency (SSNA). The writer raised critical questions surrounding what he described as

4189-552: The referendum voted for separation or independence. And on 23 January 2011, members of a steering committee on post-independence governing told reporters that upon independence the land would be named the Republic of South Sudan "out of familiarity and convenience". Other names that had been considered were Azania , Nile Republic, Kush Republic and even Juwama, a portmanteau for Juba , Wau and Malakal , three major cities. South Sudan formally became independent from Sudan on 9 July, although certain disputes still remained, including

4260-471: The region came to a head in 1898, when the Fashoda Incident occurred at present-day Kodok ; Britain and France almost went to war over the region. Britain then treated South Sudan as a distinct entity with a different stage of development than the North. This policy was legalized in 1930 by the announcement of the Southern Policy. In 1946, without consulting Southern opinion, the British administration reversed its Southern Policy and began instead to implement

4331-463: The rise of autocracy within the top leadership of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and warned of monumental repercussions unless the ruling elites restored the founding principles of the party. Duop also berated the ruling party, arguing that the party has replaced its founding principles with "forgotten promises and deceptions". In December 2013, a political power struggle broke out between President Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar , as

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4402-420: The semi-autonomous government of Southern Sudan revealed that significant, though diminished wildlife populations still exist, and that, astonishingly, the huge migration of 1.3 million antelopes in the southeast is substantially intact. Habitats in the country include grasslands, high-altitude plateaus and escarpments, wooded and grassy savannas, floodplains, and wetlands. Associated wildlife species include

4473-409: The southern tribes to retain much of their social and cultural heritage, as well as their political and religious institutions. British colonial policy in Sudan had a long history of emphasizing the development of the Arab north and largely ignoring the Black African south, which lacked schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, and other basic infrastructure. After Sudan's first independent elections in 1958,

4544-400: The tenth century, coinciding with the fall of medieval Nubia . From the 15th to the 19th century, tribal migrations, largely from the area of Bahr el Ghazal , brought the Anyuak, Dinka, Nuer, and Shilluk to their modern locations in Bahr El Ghazal and the Upper Nile Region, while the Acholi and Bari settled in Equatoria . The Zande , Mundu , Avukaya and Baka , who entered South Sudan in

4615-458: The troops from the Republic of Sudan have retreated from Malakal. Malakal was the site of the November 2006 Battle of Malakal . Beginning in 2013, Malakal has been the site of numerous battles between government SPLA forces and the Nuer White Army , loosely commanded by the SPLM-IO which is headed by Riek Machar . The city has been overrun on various occasions by both sides. As of October 2015, Malakal had exchanged hands twelve times during

4686-410: The violence between 2013 and 2019". South Sudan acceded to the Treaty of the East Africa Community on 15 April 2016 and became a full member on 15 August 2016. South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Federal Republic of Somalia are the newest members of the East African Community . The first democratic elections in South Sudan since the start of the civil war were scheduled for 2023 by

4757-413: The war of independence and is widespread. In December 2011, tribal clashes intensified between the Nuer White Army of the Lou Nuer and the Murle . The White Army warned it would wipe out the Murle and would also fight South Sudanese and UN forces sent to the area around Pibor . In March 2012, South Sudanese forces seized the Heglig oil fields in lands claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan in

4828-429: Was given special administrative status as a result of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005. Following the independence of South Sudan in 2011, Abyei is considered to be simultaneously part of both the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, effectively a condominium . It was due to hold a referendum in 2011 on whether to join South Sudan or remain part of the Republic of Sudan, but in May 2011,

4899-472: Was known as the former Sobat District. The Malakal town started as a tiny District administrative unit which later expanded into a big town becoming the capital city of the Upper Nile State (since 2020). It was also the capital of the defunct Eastern Nile State and Central Upper Nile State During the Second Sudanese Civil War , the town was a garrison town of the Khartoum-based Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Following South Sudan's independence on 9 July 2011,

4970-478: Was launched. In 2011 it was reported that South Sudan was at war with at least seven armed groups in 9 of its 10 states, with tens of thousands displaced. The fighters accuse the government of plotting to stay in power indefinitely, not fairly representing and supporting all tribal groups while neglecting development in rural areas. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) also operates in a wide area that includes South Sudan. Inter-ethnic warfare in some cases predates

5041-439: Was sworn in as First Vice President of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan on 11 August 2005. Riek Machar replaced him as Vice-President of the Government . Legislative power is vested in the government and the bicameral National Legislature. The constitution also provides for an independent judiciary, the highest organ being the Supreme Court . On 8 May 2021, South Sudan President Salva Kiir announced

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