The conflict in South Sudan has been ongoing due to disagreements among powerful leaders and armed forces. The conflict has affected everyone, young and old. Watch the story of a former child soldier and children speak of the conflict.
- Sudan fought internally for over 25 years, the result being South Sudan’s independence in 2011.
- After gaining independence, the ruling political party, The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, quickly became internally divided when South Sudan’s president accused his vice president of an attempted coup.
- In December of 2013, vice president Riek Machar established the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition. The South Sudanese Civil War began between SPLA and SPLA in Opposition.
- The warring parties signed a peace agreement in August 2015, which called for a transitional government of national unity. It has been violated and the fighting continues in 2016.
- In 2015, 480 children were killed and 128 children were maimed, a sharp increase from 2014. One in five citizens have been displaced and 70 percent of schools have been closed.
These facts originally come from UN’s Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict and Mercy Corps.
