South Sudan is not only the newest country in continental Africa, but also the newest in the world as it was officially formed on July 9, 2011 (“South Sudan"). The country was born from over fifty years of conflicts and bloody civil wars that led to the death of millions of people. It is a nation rich in cultures and languages ​​of strong people who have sacrificed much for their independence. Today, South Sudan is a struggling nation, plagued by civil war, hunger, poor health and possible genocide, as it attempts to find stability as the world's newest nation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The area that is now known as South Sudan was unofficially ruled by Egypt until it was united as Equatoria, an Egyptian province, in 1869. After a rebellion against Egyptian rule of the province, Muhammad Ahmad, recognized as “the expected religious leader”, he took control of the territory (“South Sudan”). North Sudan and South Sudan were governed separately until after World War II, when the British attempted and failed to unite South Sudan with Uganda. Following this failed merger, the Juba conference was held and it was decided that northern and southern Sudan would be united to form one country (Singerman). In 1946, after years of British and Egyptian control, the settlers left the country to be ruled by the Sudanese people. Upon their departure, however, the seats they occupied in the Sudanese government were occupied almost entirely by the Arab-Muslim population of the northern provinces, leaving no space in the government for the Christian Africans of the ten southern provinces (Domke). The northern Sudanese promised the southerners power in their newly formed government, but they never managed to keep their promise (Singerman). In the summer of 1955, the southern provinces began to express their strong desire for regional autonomy, with an attack on the Sudanese government by the southern rebel group, the Equatorial Corps. After the attack, those involved banded together to form several southern militias and rebel groups, thus starting the First Sudanese Civil War (Singerman). The first war began before Sudan had even officially gained its independence, and lasted more than 16 years. from 1955 to 1972. Most rebel and rebel groups in the southern provinces remained disorganized until 1963, when the Anyanya rebel group was formed. Anyanya literally translates to "snake venom", and the group has retained the sense of danger that came from their name through their guerrilla tactics which have allowed them to become the most effective rebel group in the south (Dumke). Anyanya received aid in the form of weapons from Israel and Sudan's neighbor Uganda, which allowed them to fight for almost ten years (Singerman). In 1972 the northern and southern provinces agreed to sign the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement, which granted autonomy to the southern provinces. The peace that resulted from this agreement, however, lasted only eleven years, until the north violated the autonomy of the south and war broke out again (“South Sudan”). The Second Sudanese Civil War began in 1983 and was not resolved until 2005. In 1983 Arab-Muslim President Nimeiri announced that he intended to institute Sharia law and add traditional Islamic punishments to Sudan's penal code. This meant that all Sudanese would be subject to Islamic punishment, even Christian-Africans from the southern provinces. This did not please Southerners, as they felt it was directly infringingthe regional autonomy that the Addis Ababa peace agreement had guaranteed them (Pike). The South also disagreed with the North regarding the agricultural policies that were imposed on it. The north attempted to accelerate Sudan's development by shifting its agricultural focus from agricultural food to be consumed within the country, to agricultural products that could be exported to foreign countries. This change led to strong pressure on the south to cultivate the land, to the point that land was damaged and to the point that people, such as the Nuba, were driven from their homes to build commercial farms. These two claims, along with many smaller ones, led to the outbreak of another war in 1983 (Dumke). The Second Sudanese Civil War has often been considered a continuation of the First Civil War. This war saw the Sudan People's Liberation Army, led by Colonel John Garang, on the front lines in the south. The SPLA was the military branch of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the movement that would later liberate South Sudan (Deng). Fighting between the Sudanese government and the SPLA took place mainly in the south, but the SPLA received support from the north, as many rebelled against the government which had confiscated their farms for commercial use. This fighting was stopped by peace agreements proposed as a peace plan between the SPLM and the Sudanese government of Sadiq al-Mahdi, however it was not until 2005 that peace truly came. A peace agreement, known as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, was finalized in January 2005. This peace agreement created a plan that called for power-sharing between the northern government and the SPLM, and also gave autonomy to the provinces southerners (Deng). civil wars in Sudan have lasted more than 50 years. During these 50 years over 2.5 people were killed due to a combination of drought, disease and violence. The war has also created more than 4 million refugees, many of whom still reside in other countries. The wars eventually came to be known as Africa's longest civil war. In October 2005, SPLA leader Garang was appointed the first president of South Sudan. After serving as president for less than a year, Garang died in a plane crash, and so the presidency was handed over to his vice president, Salva Kiir Mayardit. The first national elections in South Sudan were scheduled for 2009, but were ultimately postponed to 2010 (“South Sudan”). An independence referendum was therefore scheduled for 2011. The referendum took place from 9 to 15 January 2011 and ended with a 98% vote in favor of independence. After the Southerners' near-unanimous decision to form a new nation, they immediately began drafting a transitional constitution, which was approved to be used for four years, while a permanent constitution was drafted. On July 9, 2011, South Sudan officially gained independence (“South Sudan”). Today the government of South Sudan is still transitional. Juba City currently serves as the nation's capital, however there are plans to soon move it to Ramciel for a more central capital. In 2010, President Salva Kiir Mayardit was elected president, with 93% of the vote (“South Sudan”). In July 2015, parliament decided to extend President Mayardit's four-year term to eight years, in light of the conflict within the country and because the official constitution is not yet complete. At present, the transitional government is composed of the president, his cabinet and a bicameral legislative assembly. The President's Cabinet consists of 31 members, all appointed by the President, who perform roles similar to those of the U.S. Presidential Cabinet, such as "Secretary of Internal Affairs" and "Minister ofjustice". The bicameral legislative body is composed of the “National Legislative Assembly” and the “Council of States”. The legislature has purposes such as approving appointments or ratifying treaties. The judiciary of South Sudan is composed of a Supreme Court, among the smaller courts, is a branch of the government of South Sudan and is overseen by President Mayardit (“South Sudan”). Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. The country's climate is tropical, consisting of wet and dry seasons. 15% of South Sudan is made up of Sudd Wetlands, humid areas made up of one 22,000 square mile swamp in the center of the country. At the edge of the wetlands lies the country's equatorial forest, which becomes the country's jungle. These mountains are home to the country's highest peak, Mount Kinyeti, which reaches 10,456 feet from base to summit. The White Nile flows through the country, making the land fertile and suitable for agriculture, and its basin provides a home to many of the country's nomadic ethnic groups. (“South Sudan”). The population of South Sudan is made up of over 90% Christian-Africans, with a small Arab-Muslim minority. The country's ethnicity is 35.8% Dinka (World Factbook). The Dinka are a transhumant ethnic group of pastoralists who live mainly in the savannah of the country (“Dinka”). Another 15.6% are Nuer, cattle herders who follow their herds across the swamps and savannah of Sudan (“Nuer”). The Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups are closely related, as can be seen from the similarities of their languages ​​(“Nuer”). The two groups faced conflict during the period of the Sudanese civil wars and, despite a peace agreement signed in 1999, continue to face a major conflict in South Sudan (“Dinka”) today. The remaining percentage is made up of various smaller ethnic groups, such as Shilluk, Azande, Bari and Acholi. South Sudan's population is predominantly very young, with over 67% of the population under the age of 25, and the country's median age is just 17. The official language of South Sudan is English, however many languages ​​are spoken and recognized within the country, such as Northern Arabic and the Nilotic languages ​​of the Dinka, Nuer and other ethnic groups residing in the country (The World Factbook). South Sudan's economy is heavily dependent on the country's rich mineral resources, particularly oil. South Sudan produces approximately 600,000 barrels of oil per day, or 25,200,000 gallons. This huge amount of oil represents 98% of the South Sudanese government's revenue. It is the country's main export and accounts for 60% of South Sudan's total GDP. As gas prices fall, Sudan's economy suffers due to its heavy dependence on oil. Oil is a non-renewable resource, so it is expected that the amount of oil the country is able to produce will begin to decline in the next few years and will stop completely by 2035 (“South Sudan Overview”). The country has other mineral resources, such as important deposits of gold, silver and zinc, however these deposits are largely intact. 85% of South Sudan's working population does not work for a wage, but instead works on farms and supports themselves with what they produce themselves. This unpaid work represents another 15% of GDP. South Sudan uses the South Sudanese Pound (SSP), which has increased in value from 18.5 SSP to the US dollar to almost 80 SSP to the US dollar, in less than a year (“South Sudan Overview”). is facing many problems as a nation beyond just the economy right now. The problemThe most important thing the country is currently facing is the South Sudanese civil war. The conflict began in 2013 between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Vice President Riek Machar, members of the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups respectively, which have a long history of conflict. In 2013, Vice President Machar's guards attacked President Mayardit's guards and a bloody battle ensued. President Mayardit accused Vice President Machar of attempting a coup. Machar denied this, insisting that Miir was only creating a conflict, which in reality did not exist, within his own country, in an attempt to divert attention from his failures as the country's president. Machar called for Mayardit's resignation, but Mayardit refused and removed Machar from his vice presidential office (“South Sudan President Salva Kiir in profile”). The SPLM, which controls the government of South Sudan, and the opposition SPLM, the branch of the SPLM that split to follow Machar, began fighting, and so the war began. Uganda's military forces were deployed to fight alongside South Sudan's government against rebels in 2014, and the United Nations has sent peacekeepers to the country. In early 2014, a ceasefire agreement was reached between the government and the rebels. This ceasefire agreement, however, did not last long, as fighting continued, only to be briefly interrupted by several other ceasefire agreements. In 2015 the United Nations threatened both sides with UN sanctions if they did not sign a peace agreement, and so the “Compromise Peace Agreement” was signed. As part of this agreement, in 2016 Machar returned to South Sudan from which he had been exiled and was reappointed as Vice President of South Sudan. However, fighting broke out again in the capital Juba and Machar once again fled to Sudan, where he is currently still in exile. Fighting continues today in South Sudan and has already killed more than 300,000 people (South Sudan: Slides into civil war). In the wake of the ongoing civil war in South Sudan, the United Nations is reporting signs of possible genocide. The genocide would be of the Nuer people, by the Dinka. The United Nations recently went to South Sudan for 10 days to monitor the nation, and found President Mayardit's Dinka supporters killing Machar's Nuer supporters in such large numbers that they believe it is not already a genocide , this is likely to happen. become one. One UN official actually stated that “the stage is set for another Rwanda-like genocide” (Keleman). As the warning signs of a genocide are being seen right now, it is hoped that the nation will receive aid from other nations before it is thrown into an all-out genocide, like the one in Rwanda, which left as many as 2 million people dead. The UN has also denounced the occurrence of rape as a form of ethnic cleansing within South Sudan. According to a United Nations survey of women in the nation's capital, 70 percent of women in Juba have experienced some sort of sexual violence since the civil war began in 2013. Several women told the United Nations they had been raped by government soldiers. after the clashes in Juba. The United Nations intends to collect evidence of rapes so that legal action can be taken against rapists (UN: Rape Used as Tool for Ethnic Cleansing). South Sudan is also facing a food crisis, as around 3.6 million inhabitants suffer from food shortages. . This means a doubling of the amount of hunger in South Sudan compared to last year's figures. The number of hungry people is still increasing and yes.