In maps and charts: South Sudan’s 15 years of independence

South Sudan became the world’s newest state successful July 2011 aft astir 99 percent of voters chose independency from Sudan.

Fifteen years later, astir of the large promises that came with independency stay unfulfilled.

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South Sudan remains 1 of the world’s astir fragile states.

Oil finances astir 90 percent of the government’s revenue, but the state remains wracked by heavy inequality and violence: 82 percent of the colonisation lives beneath the poorness line, and governmental jostling betwixt rival groups has near the young federation successful a perpetual authorities of conflict.

A pistillate poses with her three-year-old girl successful their house, which is made retired of straw, bamboo and integrative sheeting, astatine the Protection of Civilian tract (PoC) successful Bentiu, South Sudan, connected February 15, 2018 [Stefanie Glinski/AFP]

Elections person ne'er been held since independence, millions stay displaced, and the country’s system depends connected pipelines moving done Sudan, the precise federation it fought to leave.

‘A failed promise’

Jok Madut Jok, 57, a prof and manager of postgraduate studies astatine Syracuse University, is from Warrap, South Sudan, and inactive has household successful some agrarian and municipality parts of the country.

Jok says helium recalls the joyousness of the clip erstwhile South Sudan broke distant to found a caller beginning. It was a infinitesimal of hope. Today, though, helium feels arsenic though helium has been denied each that was promised astatine the time.

“South Sudan astatine the infinitesimal is simply a failed promise,” helium says. “South Sudanese who had lived nether brutal regimes successful Sudan and had been excluded from wealth and improvement programmes, and were victims of information operations successful the confederate part, had hung their hopes connected independence.”

Jok says radical are present looking towards possibilities of governmental transitions to clasp their authorities accountable.

Who controls what successful South Sudan?

The state is technically governed by a transitional unity authorities created nether the 2018 bid agreement.

But that bid remains fragile.

Violence continues crossed Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity and Equatoria states with clashes involving authorities forces, absorption fighters and different equipped groups.

Elections scheduled respective times since independency person again been delayed, with the latest ballot planned for precocious 2026.

Main governmental and equipped groups:

Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)

The ruling enactment which led the independency movement.

Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO)

Led by Riek Machar, it is portion of the unity government. It inactive maintains equipped forces successful parts of the country.

South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF)

The nationalist army, formerly known arsenic the SPLA, it is loyal to President Salva Kiir.

White Army

A escaped web of equipped youth, chiefly from the Nuer taste group.

National Salvation Front (NAS)

It remains active, chiefly successful Equatoria province. The NAS ne'er afloat joined the bid agreement.

A South Sudanese subject constabulary serviceman sits connected a pickup motortruck portion monitoring the country arsenic troops belonging to the South Sudanese Unified Forces instrumentality portion successful a deployment ceremonial astatine the Luri Military Training Centre, successful Juba, connected November 15, 2023 [Peter Louis Gume/AFP]

Who runs the government?

Salva Kiir – President since independence.

• Leader of the governing SPLM.
• Supported mostly by influential sections of the Dinka, South Sudan’s largest taste community.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir attends the swearing-in ceremonial for Kenya’s caller president William Ruto, astatine Kasarani stadium successful Nairobi, Kenya connected September 13, 2022 [Brian Inganga/AP]

Riek Machar – Vice President.

• Leader of SPLM-IO.
• Historically backed by galore Nuer supporters.
• His rivalry with Kiir triggered the 2013 civilian warfare aft governmental tensions exploded wrong the ruling party.

South Sudan’s rebel person Riek Machar speaks to the media astir the concern successful South Sudan, pursuing a bid statement with the authorities successful Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, connected August 31, 2015 [Mulugeta Ayene/AP]

Independence delivered, unit continued

Between 2011 and  2026, according to information compiled by the United States-headquartered Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), determination were 13,256 attacks successful South Sudan, which means 883 attacks per twelvemonth connected mean – oregon much than 2 a day.

The bulk of the attacks person been led by:

• Various communal and clan-based equipped groups. These constituted 6,168, oregon conscionable implicit 46 percent, of each attacks.
• The equipped forces and police, who were liable for 3,278 attacks.
• Unidentified equipped groups, down 2,276 attacks.
• Sudan’s People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, liable for 900 attacks.
• National Salvation Front, down 269 attacksForeign actors, down 154 attacks.
• Others, liable for the remaining 184 attacks.

Jan Pospisil, 52, a researcher astatine the Austria-based Peace and Conflict Evidence Platform, precocious conducted a survey of much than 22,000 respondents successful South Sudan.

Of them, 98 percent said they were arrogant of being South Sudanese. At the aforesaid time, much than 52 percent of respondents said successful 2023 that they didn’t consciousness harmless speaking up politically, and successful 2025, the results were astir the same.

Hunger persists aft 15 years of violence

Hunger is worsening crossed South Sudan, wherever an estimated 7.8 cardinal radical are facing situation levels of nutrient insecurity betwixt April and July 2026, astir 280,000 much than projected past year, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

Of those, astir 73,000 radical are surviving successful catastrophic conditions, facing starvation, utmost nutrient shortages and a heightened hazard of death.

Another 2.5 cardinal are successful exigency conditions, portion 5.3 cardinal much are struggling to conscionable regular nutrient needs without exhausting what small they person left.

The nutrition situation is worsening alongside this.

An estimated 2.2 cardinal children nether 5 present necessitate attraction for acute malnutrition, an summation of astir 90,000 cases since the erstwhile assessment.

Another 1.2 cardinal large and breastfeeding women besides request urgent nutritional support.

The situation is being fuelled by conflict, displacement and repeated shocks that person destroyed livelihoods, disrupted markets and chopped communities disconnected from aid.

“My household is surviving successful agrarian areas, immoderate successful the cities but person nary entree to prime healthcare, nary cleanable drinking water, nary roadworthy infrastructure,” Jok says. “Even if they were to workplace and rise cattle, and make their ain livelihoods, they usually are chopped disconnected from markets and from basal services that are the work of the state, particularly a authorities that extracts nationalist resources from underneath the people.”

“It’s a feeling that radical are wholly excluded from the gains of independence,” helium added. “It verges connected transgression neglect.”

Villagers cod nutrient assistance dropped from a level successful gunny bags astatine a colony successful Ayod county, South Sudan, by the World Food Programme (WFP) connected February 6, 2020 [Tony Karumba/AFP]

Economic inequality

Pospisil says contempt the riches of the 150,000 barrels of lipid that are extracted, sold and chiefly exported each day, broader economical gains are not a world for astir of the public.

In astir rankings, South Sudan languishes arsenic the poorest federation successful the world.

South Sudan chiefly exports crude to China, but besides has Chinese and Indian companies invested alongside state-held organisations that ain blocks successful the lipid fields.

(Al Jazeera)

(Al Jazeera)

(Al Jazeera)