Salva Kiir

Following the death of John Garang in a helicopter crash, Salva Kiir succeeded him as leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and as President of Southern Sudan. Kiir inherited the task of implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Kiir oversaw the January 2011 referendum on self-determination for South Sudan, as stipulated by the CPA. The vote resulted in 98.83% support for independence. South Sudan formally declared independence on July 9, 2011, with Kiir becoming its first president.

A political power struggle between Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar escalated into a full-scale civil war. Fighting along ethnic lines (Dinka vs. Nuer) led to tens of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis, with widespread atrocities committed by both sides.

Kiir signed the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) with Riek Machar and other opposition groups. The agreement established a transitional unity government, with Machar returning as First Vice President in 2020, though implementation remained fragile.