SUMMARY
Republic of South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011, following decades of civil war and a referendum in which an overwhelming majority of the population in the then-southern region of Sudan voted for secession. Since its independence, South Sudan has been plagued by persistent conflict, with the country’s ethnic diversity playing a significant role. Historical grievances, fueled by years of marginalization and discrimination, have created deep-seated tensions between different ethnic groups. Power struggles exacerbate these tensions, as various armed factions compete for power and control over natural resources.
Since 2011, South Sudan has experienced the interstate, intrastate, non-state and one-sided categories, as defined by the UCDP.
2025
In 2025, the overall level of violence in South Sudan declined slightly compared to the previous year, with reported fatalities exceeding 650. While non-state conflict decreased, state-based conflict increased significantly. One-sided violence also declined, with no dyad reaching UCDP’s 25-fatality threshold.
State-based conflict in South Sudan reached a major turning point in 2025, as the conflict over government between the Government of South Sudan and SPLM/A-IO resumed for the first time since the signing of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, resulting in more than 280 fatalities. In March, President Salva Kiir arrested First Vice President Riek Machar, leader of SPLM/A-IO, along with several senior SPLM/A-IO officials, accusing them of supporting a rebellion led by the Nuer self-defense militia known as the White Army. SPLM/A-IO rejected the accusations and declared the peace agreement effectively collapsed. Fighting between government forces and SPLM/A-IO intensified throughout the year, particularly in Upper Nile, Jonglei, and parts of Equatoria, marking a significant deterioration in security and political stability.
Non-state conflict in South Sudan declined in 2025 but remained active in several regions, driven primarily localized intercommunal violence over cattle raiding, territorial disputes, and retaliatory attacks. Clashes occurred between Bor Dinka and allied Acholi and Murle in Eastern Equatoria’s Magwi county, where disputes over grazing land, abductions, and resource competition continued to fuel insecurity. In Jonglei, fighting between Gawaar Nuer and Lou Nuer communities remained recurrent, reflecting longstanding intra-Nuer rivalries, cycles of revenge violence, and cattle raiding. Inter communal violence also affected Warap state, where clashes between the Luac Jang Dinka and Pan-Juaj Dinka alliance and Jalwau Dinka communities contributed to localized instability. In the Greater Kapoeta region, conflict between Murle and Toposa persisted, largely linked to cattle raiding and cross-border mobility.
Constant violence
The creation of South Sudan has decades-old roots in a large-scale conflict between the Government of Sudan and the southern-based Sudanese groups: Anya Nya/SSLM (later renamed SSLM; 1963-1972) and SPLM/A (1983-2005). For information on this or other conflicts related to South Sudan prior to its independence, visit the Sudan country page.
Despite independence, South Sudan quickly found itself embroiled in an interstate conflict with Sudan over its common yet undefined border area in the Heglig/Panthou area in 2012. This built upon the territorial dispute over the neighboring Abyei area, which broke out in the period between the January referendum and the July official independence of South Sudan in 2011; therefore it is included on the Sudan country page.
In addition to this, intrastate conflict accompanied the birth of South Sudan as the new governing regime was challenged by two rebel groups supported by the Government of Sudan early on: SSDM/A and SSLM/A. In spite of some success dealing with these groups, the downward spiral of internal violence endured as the ruling government party fractured and new rebel groups continued to form such as the SPLM/A In Opposition. For more information, see South Sudan: Government conflict.
Besides these state-based conflicts, non-state violence largely between communal groups has plagued South Sudan since its independence. One notable example is in the eastern region of Jonglei, where fighting between the Lou Nuer and the Murle resulted in more than 1400 people being killed in 2011.
