Sudan was once Africa’s largest country (Image: Getty)
With an area that represented more than 8% of the African continent and almost 2% of the world’s total population, Sudan was once largest country.
However, this all changed in 2011 when 99% of South Sudanese voters chose to secede from Sudan and South Sudan officially became the world’s newest nation – breaking-in-two of what was
Most of the population in Sudan is Muslim whilst South Sudan has a larger Christian community.
Juba became the capital of South Sudan whilst Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan.
South Sudanese from throughout the country came together on July 9, 2011 to celebrate the birth of the new nation.
The event brought joy to the streets and dusty roads of South Sudan and the country celebrates its independence day every year.
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The event brought joy to the streets and dusty roads of South Sudan (Image: Getty)
The split was the result of decades of civil war and an armed struggle that began in the mid-1950s after Sudan gained independence from Britain and Egypt.
In 2005 the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, officially ending Africa’s longest-running civil war and set the date for a referendum on South Sudan’s self-determination in January 2011.
Although the split was a peaceful and democratic event, it brought uncertainty to the economic future of Sudan as most of Sudan’s oil is in the south.
Over 90% of South Sudan’s revenue stream comes from oil, making the country vulnerable to economic shock from fluctuations in the price of oil or any disruptions in production.
Khartum is the capital city of Sudan (Image: Getty)
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South Sudan has a large Christian community (Image: Getty)
Independence did not bring conflict in South Sudan to an end for long as a civil war broke out in 2013 when the president fell out with his then vice president, leading to a conflict that has displaced some four million people.
Five years later in September 2018, a power-sharing agreement was signed sought to end the bloody civil war.
South Sudan, which has a population of 12.7 million, has the largest refugee crisis in Africa. Since 2013, over four million South Sudanese have been forced from their homes.
Over 2.2 million have left the country entirely, while another 2.2 million are displaced internally.