Situation context
South Sudan is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa bordered by Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. It became independent in 2011, making it the world's youngest internationally recognized state. The country is characterized by vast wetlands, including the Sudd, one of the largest swamp systems in the world.
Open the interactive situation page
What is South Sudan situation about?
South Sudan - Overview
What this is about The Security Council’s discussion of South Sudan is mainly about a fragile peace process in a country that moved from independence into civil war, and then into an incomplete transition. A South Sudanese civil society briefer told the Council that after independence in 2011, the country had resources, institutions and legal frameworks, but “barely 30 months” later it had descended into multiple civil wars. In Council discussions, the crisis is repeatedly described as a mix of: political rivalry at the top, especially between President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar; unfinished implementation of the 2018 peace deal; continuing violence against civilians, even when nationwide fighting is lower than during full civil war; weak state institutions, insecurity, and delayed reforms; a severe humanitarian crisis. --- The core political issue At the center of...
Read this module in the interactive app
How did the South Sudan situation evolve over time?
South Sudan - Timeline
South Sudan’s trajectory over time South Sudan’s path, as reflected in Security Council discussions, is a story of high hopes, state collapse, a fragile peace framework, repeated delays, and then renewed deterioration. --- 1) Independence and early collapse The starting point in Council briefings is 9 July 2011, when South Sudan became independent. In a June 2021 civil-society briefing to the Council, independence was described as a historic moment that brought hope, resources and institutions. But that hopeful phase did not last. The same briefer told the Council that “barely 30 months” after independence, the country had descended into multiple civil wars. In later Council discussions, this contrast — from independence to violent fragmentation — became the basic explanation for why South Sudan remained such a persistent item on the Council’s agenda. What matters here is that the...
Read this module in the interactive app