Who Leads South Sudan?

Leadership

Salva Kiir Mayardit

President of South Sudan

Political Party

SPLM

Inaugurated

Jul 9, 2011

Term Ends

TBD

Next Election

TBD

Born

Sep 13, 1951 in Akon, South Sudan

Country Population

11M

Continent

Africa

Salva Kiir Mayardit has been president since independence in 2011 and is recognizable by the cowboy hat gifted to him by President George W. Bush that he wears constantly. A former guerrilla leader in Sudan's civil war, he has struggled to unite the country's ethnic factions. A 2018 peace deal with rival Riek Machar has been partially implemented but elections continue to be delayed.

Government

Capital

Juba

Official Language(s)

English

Currency

South Sudanese Pound (SSP)

Government Type

Presidential Republic

Area

619,745 km²

South Sudan is the world's youngest country, gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. Despite significant oil reserves, it has been devastated by civil war, ethnic conflict, and corruption. The country faces a severe humanitarian crisis with millions displaced. South Sudan has rich cultural diversity and vast wetlands including the Sudd, one of the world's largest swamp areas.

South Sudan is a transitional presidential republic. President Salva Kiir Mayardit has been president since independence on July 9, 2011 (and before as president of the autonomous Southern Sudan since 2005). First Vice President Riek Machar is his former civil war opponent; their 2018 peace deal brought Machar back to government under the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). A transitional government governs; elections were scheduled multiple times but repeatedly postponed (most recently to December 2024, then delayed again). The Transitional National Legislature has 550 seats.

Economic Snapshot

GDP

$4.6B

GDP Per Capita

$400

Income Group

Low income

Trade Balance

Variable (oil-dependent)

Inflation

Over 100% in crisis years; moderating

South Sudan's tragic paradox: a country with extraordinary natural wealth (oil; agricultural land; freshwater from the Nile; gold; timber) that has achieved almost none of it for its people. The oil revenues since independence (estimated at $36+ billion) have gone primarily to: military salaries and weapons, patronage networks that sustain the political coalition, and elite enrichment. The 2013-2018 civil war destroyed oil infrastructure, displaced millions of farmers, and consumed what remained of state capacity. The peace process (2018 Revitalized Agreement; IGAD-mediated) created a power-sharing government that has held imperfectly: violence in the states (Upper Nile; Unity; Jonglei; Equatoria) continued after the peace deal; elections have been repeatedly postponed; humanitarian aid (approximately $1.5-2 billion/year; the world's largest per-capita humanitarian operation in some years) sustains millions who cannot produce their own food. The Sudan-South Sudan relationship is both essential and fraught: South Sudan's only oil export route runs through Sudan (the 1,500 km pipeline to Port Sudan). The two countries have repeatedly disputed transit fees and the situation of Abyei (a disputed oil-rich border area claimed by both). When relations break down, South Sudan loses its oil export revenue; when they improve, trade flows resume.

Major Industries

• Oil (Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company; China National Petroleum Corporation; major; but declining; infrastructure damaged in war)
• Agriculture (subsistence; cattle; maize; sorghum; sesame)
• Gum arabic (Acacia senegal; Sahel belt)
• Gold (artisanal; Kapoeta area)

South Sudan is known for: South Sudan has the third-largest proven oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa (approximately 3.5 billion barrels; behind Nigeria and Angola) and generates approximately 98% of its government revenue from oil. However, its oil infrastructure has been severely damaged by the civil war, reserves are declining, and South Sudan has no oil refining capacity and exports all crude via Sudan's pipeline (requiring payment of transit fees and dependent on a formerly hostile neighbor). South Sudan is landlocked and relies on the Port Sudan pipeline to export oil.

Trade Profile

South Sudan's trade balance fluctuates entirely with oil prices and production levels. The country is effectively a mono-export economy (98% of government revenue from oil) with almost no formal non-oil sector.

Top Exports

• Oil (crude; to China primarily; via Sudan pipeline)
• Gold (artisanal)
• Gum arabic
• Sesame

Top Imports

• Food (most processed food)
• Petroleum products (all refined fuel)
• Machinery
• Consumer goods
• Vehicles

Export Destinations

• China
• India
• Japan

Import Partners

• Uganda
• Kenya
• China
• Sudan

The world depends on South Sudan for: Crude oil (particularly China and India), gum arabic, and as a humanitarian and peacekeeping case study

South Sudan depends on the world for: Almost everything: food, fuel (refined petroleum), machinery, consumer goods, and approximately $1.5-2 billion in annual humanitarian aid

Global Role

South Sudan's global significance is being the world's newest country (independence July 9, 2011), immediately entering a catastrophic civil war (December 2013), the Dinka-Nuer ethnic civil war's 400,000 deaths, the Sudd wetland (one of the world's largest), Chinese oil interests, and one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

• South Sudan became the world's newest country on July 9, 2011 (after a referendum in which 98.83% voted for independence from Sudan); it was the culmination of decades of civil war between the Arabic-Islamic north and the predominantly Christian and animist south
• Civil war erupted on December 15, 2013 (just 2.5 years after independence), when a political dispute between President Salva Kiir (Dinka) and former Vice President Riek Machar (Nuer) escalated into ethnically charged mass violence; approximately 400,000+ deaths and 4 million+ displaced
• South Sudan has approximately 3.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves (sub-Saharan Africa's 3rd largest) but its poverty rate exceeds 80%; it is simultaneously oil-rich and one of the world's poorest countries
• The Sudd (White Nile swamp; 30,000-130,000 km² depending on season) is one of the world's largest wetlands and a globally significant carbon sink and biodiversity area; the Jonglei Canal project to drain part of it was stopped by rebels in 1983
• Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has the largest stake (40%) in South Sudan's oil consortium; China has therefore invested in South Sudan's stability while also supplying weapons to both sides in the civil war
• South Sudan has no national electricity grid: less than 1% of the population has access to electricity; the capital Juba is powered by generators; the country has some of the world's worst human development indicators on virtually every measure
• John Garang (1945-2005), the founder and leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M), is South Sudan's founding father; he died in a helicopter crash shortly after the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement; his death traumatized the south; Salva Kiir succeeded him

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the current President of South Sudan?

Salva Kiir Mayardit has been President since South Sudan's independence on July 9, 2011 (and before as President of autonomous Southern Sudan since 2005). He is Dinka, the largest ethnic group. His political conflict with Riek Machar (Nuer; First Vice President) triggered the December 2013 civil war. The 2018 peace deal brought Machar back as First Vice President. Elections have been repeatedly postponed; Kiir continues to govern under the transitional framework.

Why did South Sudan's civil war start?

South Sudan's civil war began on December 15, 2013, with a political dispute between President Salva Kiir (Dinka) and former Vice President Riek Machar (Nuer). Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup; Machar denied it and fled. The conflict quickly acquired an ethnic dimension as Dinka presidential guard units attacked Nuer civilians in Juba, triggering retaliatory Nuer attacks on Dinka civilians in Jonglei State. The war combined political power struggle, ethnic mobilization, and resource conflict (oil field control). Approximately 400,000 people were killed; approximately 4 million displaced. A peace deal was signed in 2018 and a revitalized agreement created the current power-sharing government.

How is South Sudan so poor despite having oil?

South Sudan illustrates the 'resource curse' at its most acute. Oil generates approximately 98% of government revenue, but: most revenues fund the military (approximately 40% of budget) and patronage networks (keeping warlords and regional commanders loyal); the civil war (2013-2018) destroyed oil infrastructure and reduced production from approximately 350,000 to approximately 150,000 barrels/day; the pipeline through Sudan requires large transit fee payments; oil revenue management has been highly opaque with very limited accountability; and the overwhelming majority of the population (approximately 80% in rural subsistence) receives virtually no oil revenue benefits.

Related Countries

• Sudan: North Sudan; South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011; the oil pipeline runs through Sudan; Abyei border dispute; the two countries' fates remain intertwined
• Uganda: Southern neighbor; Uganda hosts approximately 1.5 million South Sudanese refugees (the world's largest South Sudanese refugee population); Uganda is South Sudan's largest goods import source
• Kenya: Neighboring IGAD member; Kenya mediates South Sudan peace; Mombasa port is South Sudan's connection to world markets
• Ethiopia: IGAD member; Ethiopia mediates South Sudan peace alongside Kenya and other IGAD members
• China: China's CNPC owns 40% of South Sudan's main oil consortium; China is the primary buyer of South Sudan's oil; China has supplied weapons to both sides in the civil war
• Egypt: The Nile (including the White Nile that flows through South Sudan's Sudd wetland) is Egypt's lifeline; Egypt is deeply interested in South Sudan's water management and the Jonglei Canal debate