South Sudanese Civil War facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Sudanese Civil War
Military situation in South Sudan on 22 March 2020      Under control of the Government of South Sudan      Under control of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition      Under control of the Government of Sudan (For a more detailed map of the current military situation, see here.)
Date 15 December 2013 – 22 February 2020 (6 years, 2 months, 1 week and 1 day) Location South Sudan with spillovers into Uganda Result Stalemate Unity government formed Three Special Administrative Areas created Ethnic violence in South Sudan continues
Participants
South Sudan SPLA Air Force Mathiang Anyoor Maban Defence Force Allied militias: SSLM SRF JEM SPLM-N (alleged) SLA-AW SLA-MM EUPF (alleged) State allies:  Uganda  Egypt (alleged)	UNMISS Regional Protection Force  Rwanda  Ethiopia	SPLM-IO Nuer White Army SSDM Cobra Faction Greater Pibor Forces (since 2015) Agwelek forces TFNF SSFDP South Sudan National Army NAS Arrow Boys (since Nov. 2015) Wau State insurgents SSOA (until September 2018) SSOMA/NSSSOG (until Jan. 2020) Supported by:  Sudan (South Sudanese gov. claim)
Commanders and leaders
Salva Kiir Mayardit (President of South Sudan) Gabriel Jok Riak (from 2018) James Ajongo Mawut (2017–2018) Paul Malong Awan (2014–17) James Hoth Mai (until 2014) Kuol Manyang Juuk Peter Par Jiek  † Yoweri Museveni Katumba Wamala Matthew Puljang	David Shearer (from 2016) Ellen Margrethe Løj (2014–2016) Hilde Frafjord Johnson (until 2014)	Riek Machar (Leader of the SPLM-IO) Paulino Zangil Thomas Cirilo Gabriel Changson Chang Peter Gadet (died 2019) Lam Akol Khalid Botrous (2016–present) David Yau Yau (2013–2016) John Uliny Gabriel Tang  † Yoanis Okiech  † Paul Malong Awan (from 2018)
Strength
SPLA: 150,000 (2015) Uganda: 5,000+ (2014)	12,523 (2015) 15,000 soldiers (2019) 1,800 police (2019)	SPLM-IO: At least 10,000 defectors Nuer White Army: 25,000 (2013) NAS: 20,000+ (NAS claim, 2017) SSPA: 15,000 (SSPA claim, 2017)
Casualties and losses
10,659 killed, 9,921 wounded (Jan. – Oct. 2014) 21 killed (by Jan. 2014)	5 peacekeepers killed (by Aug. 2015)	Unknown
190,000 violent deaths (Apr. 2018) 193,000 non-violent war-related deaths (Apr. 2018) 383,000 total deaths (Apr. 2018)
1.5 million+ civilians had fled South Sudan and 2.1 million+ civilians internally displaced (as of 2017) Four Kenyan civilians killed.

The South Sudanese Civil War was a big fight in South Sudan. It happened between the country's government and groups who were against it. In December 2013, the President, Salva Kiir, said his former helper, Riek Machar, and ten other people tried to take over the government. Machar said this was not true. He then left to lead a group called the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO).

Fighting started between the government's army, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), and Machar's SPLM-IO. This started the civil war. Soldiers from Uganda came to help the South Sudanese government. The United Nations also sent peacekeepers to the country. They are part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

In January 2014, the two sides agreed to stop fighting for a short time. But the fighting kept going. More agreements were made, but they did not last. Many groups tried to help them make peace. These included the African Union and the United Nations. Other countries like China, the EU, the USA, the UK, and Norway also helped.

A peace deal was signed in August 2015. It was called the "Compromise Peace Agreement." Machar came back to the capital city, Juba, in 2016. He was made vice president. But then, fighting started again in Juba. The SPLM-IO group left and went to other areas. President Kiir then chose a different person, Taban Deng Gai, to be vice president instead of Machar. This caused more problems among the groups fighting the government.

Another agreement to share power was made in August 2018. Finally, on February 22, 2020, President Kiir and Machar made a deal. They formed a new government together.

Impact of the War

By April 2018, it was thought that about 400,000 people had died in the war. About 10% of these were children. Many people were forced to leave their homes. Over 4 million people were displaced. About 1.8 million of them moved to other places inside South Sudan. Around 2.5 million people fled to nearby countries like Uganda and Sudan.

The war also caused a lot of hunger. Fighting in farming areas meant that 6 million people faced starvation. Some areas even had a famine in 2017. The country's money system was also badly hurt. By 2017, people's income had dropped by half. Prices for goods were also rising very fast.

Groups Involved in the Conflict

Government Supporters

• Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA): This was the main army of the South Sudanese government.
• South Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM): This group joined the government side. They helped fight against other groups.

Rebel Groups

• SPLM-IO: This was the main group fighting the government. It was led by Riek Machar.
• Nuer White Army: This group was made up of Nuer people. They originally protected cattle. They joined Riek Machar's side in the war.
• SSDM: This was a larger group for different rebel forces. One part, the SSDM-Cobra faction, fought the government. Another part, the Agwelek forces, also fought the government.
• National Salvation Front (NAS)
• South Sudan United Front (SSUF)

Outside Help

• UNMISS: The UN sent peacekeepers to protect civilians. They also helped deliver aid.
•  Uganda: Uganda sent its soldiers to help the South Sudanese government. They helped the government take back cities from the rebels. Uganda later agreed to take its troops out of South Sudan.

See also

In Spanish: Guerra civil de Sudán del Sur para niños

• Baratuku refugee settlement
• Central African Republic conflict (2012–2014)