Salva Kiir Mayardit facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salva Kiir Mayardit
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Kiir in 2014
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| 1st President of South Sudan | |
| Assumed office 9 July 2011 |
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| Vice President | Riek Machar Benjamin Bol Mel Taban Deng Gai Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior Josephine Lagu |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| President of Southern Sudan | |
| In office 30 July 2005 – 9 July 2011 Acting: 30 July 2005 – 11 August 2005 |
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| Vice President | Riek Machar |
| Preceded by | John Garang |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| First Vice President of Sudan | |
| In office 11 August 2005 – 9 July 2011 |
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| President | Omar al-Bashir |
| Preceded by | John Garang |
| Succeeded by | Ali Osman Taha |
| Vice President of Southern Sudan | |
| In office 9 July 2005 – 11 August 2005 |
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| President | John Garang |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Riek Machar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 September 1951 Akon, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan |
| Political party | Sudan People's Liberation Movement |
| Spouses | Mary Ayen Mayardit Aluel William Nyuon Bany |
| Children | 2 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Anyanya(1967–1972)  Democratic Republic of Sudan(1972–1983)  SPLA(1983–2011)  South Sudan(since 2011) |
| Years of service | 1967–2011 |
| Commands | Commander-in-Chief of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces Sudan People's Liberation Army Anyanya Battalion |
| Battles/wars |
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Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 13 September 1951), often called Salva Kiir, is a South Sudanese politician. He has been the President of South Sudan since the country became independent on 9 July 2011. Before independence, he was the President of the Government of Southern Sudan. He also served as the First Vice President of Sudan from 2005 to 2011. In 2005, he became the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) after John Garang passed away.
Kiir belongs to the Dinka ethnic group. He joined the Anyanya rebels in the late 1960s. These rebels were fighting for Southern independence during the First Sudanese Civil War. When the Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, Kiir joined the new Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). This group was led by John Garang and had an armed part called the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Kiir eventually became the head of the SPLA.
After the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed, Southern Sudan gained autonomy in July 2005. John Garang led this region. When Garang died later that month, Kiir became the new President of the Southern Autonomous region. He also became the First Vice President of the central government. Kiir won re-election as President in the 2010 South Sudanese general election. The next year, South Sudan became independent after the 2011 South Sudanese independence referendum. Kiir became its first President.
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Early Life
Kiir was born in 1951 into a Dinka family that raised cattle. He was born in the village of Akon in Gogrial County, which is in South Sudan. He was the eighth of nine children in his family. His father, Kuethpiny Thiik Atem, was a cattle herder. Kiir's mother, Awiei Rou Wol Tong, was a farmer.
Role in Sudanese Civil Wars
In the late 1960s, Kiir joined the Anyanya group during the First Sudanese Civil War. By 1972, when the Addis Ababa Agreement was signed, he was a low-ranking officer. In 1983, John Garang joined an army mutiny. Kiir and other Southern leaders then joined the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). This was during the Second Sudanese Civil War.
Garang had strong military knowledge and experience. Kiir served as his deputy. In 1997, Kiir led SPLA troops in Operation Thunderbolt. This was a very successful attack where the SPLA took control of most of Western Equatoria. Kiir eventually became the head of the SPLA, which was the SPLM's military group. This happened after Dr. John Garang died in a helicopter crash.
South Sudanese Politics
After the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in January 2005, Garang became the Vice President of Sudan. When John Garang died in a helicopter crash on 30 July 2005, Kiir was chosen to take his place. He became the First Vice President of Sudan and President of Southern Sudan. Before independence, Kiir was well-liked by the military part of the SPLA/M. This was because he stayed loyal to their goals during the fight for freedom.
In January 2010, reports said that Kiir would not run for Sudanese president in the April elections. Instead, he would focus on being re-elected as president of Southern Sudan. This showed that the SPLM's main goal was independence.
Kiir was re-elected with 93% of the votes in the 2010 South Sudanese election. After his re-election, Omar al-Bashir made Kiir the First Vice President of Sudan again.
Presidency
In January 2011, South Sudanese people voted for independence from Sudan. A large majority, 98.83% of voters, chose to separate from the North. On 9 July 2011, South Sudan became an independent state. Kiir became its first president.
Kiir wanted to bring positive changes. In his first speech as president, he asked the South Sudanese people "to forgive though we shall not forget" the unfair things done by northern Sudan. He also announced a general pardon for South Sudanese groups that had fought against the SPLM. A few weeks later, he told military and police members that any human rights violations would be treated as crimes. These would be strongly prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice. His time as president focused on rebuilding the country. However, there were also disagreements both inside the country and with other nations. One of these was the Heglig Crisis, which led to a border conflict with Sudan.
Domestic Policy
On 18 June 2013, Kiir ordered that two ministers in the government lose their special protection. This was for investigations into a possible corruption case. He also suspended the Cabinet Affairs Minister Deng Alor Kuol and Finance Minister Kosti Manibe Ngai during the investigation.
In the early months of 2017, parts of South Sudan faced a famine. This happened after several years of problems with food supply. These problems were caused by civil war and drought. Many people were forced to leave their homes. This meant they could not farm or keep livestock, leaving them with little food.
Foreign Policy
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In October 2011, Kiir announced that South Sudan wanted to join the East African Community. He said this group was very important to them. This was because its members had supported South Sudan during the Sudanese civil wars.
On 20 December 2011, Kiir visited Israel. He thanked Israel for its help during the First Sudanese Civil War (1956 to 1972). He met with Israeli president Shimon Peres to talk about opening an embassy in Jerusalem. If this happened, South Sudan would be the first country to have an embassy there.
Heglig Crisis and Relations with Sudan
On 26 March 2012, the South Sudanese army attacked an oilfield in the town of Heglig. This town is on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. This event started the Heglig Crisis. On 27 September, Kiir met Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They signed eight agreements. These agreements helped restart important oil exports. They also created a 6-mile (10 km) demilitarized zone along their border.
The agreements allowed 350,000 barrels of South Sudanese oil to be sold to the world market again. They also included plans for marking their border. There was also an agreement for economic cooperation and a deal to protect each other's citizens. Some issues were not solved, and more talks were planned to fix them.
On 25 November 2012, South Sudan officially complained to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) about Sudan. This was after the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) bombed parts of South Sudan's northern Bahr el Ghazal state. At least eight people were killed and eight more were injured. South Sudan saw this attack as a serious violation of the agreement signed in Addis Ababa.
Business Interests
Salva Kiir is reported to be a part-owner of ABMC Thai-South Sudan Construction Company Limited. This company was given at least $161 million in government contracts for roads. Kiir's spokesman, Ateny Wek, denied any direct ties between Kiir and the company. The president's wife used to own shares in Yanyyom Mineral Water and Beverage Factory in Juba. This factory was named after Lake Yanyyom, near the president's hometown of Akon.
South Sudan Famine
In early 2017, parts of South Sudan faced a severe famine. This followed several years of food shortages caused by civil war and drought. Many people believed the famine was caused by humans. They pointed to the ongoing conflict in the country. More than 3 million people had to leave their homes because of the violence. This forced families to leave their farms and animals, leaving them with little food.
Days after the famine was declared, the government increased the price of a business visa from $100 to $10,000. This was mainly aimed at aid workers. U.N. officials said that Kiir was blocking food deliveries to some areas.
Personal Life
Stetson Hat
In 2006, Salva Kiir visited the White House. U.S. President George W. Bush gave him a black stetson hat as a gift. Kiir reportedly liked the hat so much that he bought several more. Now, he is rarely seen in public without wearing one.
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See also
In Spanish: Salva Kiir Mayardit para niños
