Critical

South Sudanese Civil War

Civil war after South Sudan's independence, fought between government and opposition forces with severe civilian impact.

Timeline
2013-2020
Duration
8 years
Region
East Africa
Record
Static archive

Historical overview

Overview adapted from a Wikipedia summary and stored locally on May 11, 2026.

The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan fought from 2013 to 2018 between government and opposition forces. The civil war caused rampant human rights abuses, including forced displacement, ethnic massacres, and killings of journalists by various parties. Since the war's end, South Sudan has been governed by a coalition formed by leaders of the former warring factions, Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar. The country continues to recover from the war while experiencing ongoing and systemic ethnic violence.

Theater countries

South SudanSudan

Actors

South Sudan governmentSPLM-IOlocal militias

Tags

civil-warstate-formationeast-africa

Border context

2009-2013historical border era

Arab uprisings and insurgency expansion

Uprisings, regime collapse and insurgencies spread across the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel.

Syria and Libya enter civil war. Mali and Lake Chad become major insurgency theaters.
2014-2019historical border era

ISIS wars and renewed interstate pressure

The ISIS territorial project, Yemen's war and Russia's first phase of war against Ukraine reshape conflict geography.

ISIS loses territorial control by 2019. Crimea, Donbas, Yemen and the Sahel remain decisive zones.
2020-2022historical border era

Pandemic-era wars and invasion shock

Wars in Ethiopia, Myanmar and Ukraine show state collapse, mass mobilization and renewed interstate war.

Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion reorients European security. Myanmar's coup turns into nationwide civil war.

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