FACTS

Republic of South Sudan

Official Languages: Juba Arabic, Dinka, English, Arabic

7.5-10 million population - similar to Belgium

2619,745 sq km area

Traditional religions, Christianity Major Religions

56 years life expectancy for men

58 years life expectancy for women

Currency Sudanese pound

UN, World Bank, CIA World Factbook

LEADERS

President: Salva Kiir Mayardit

PSalva Kiir Mayardit became president of South Sudan - then still part of Sudan - and head of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005, succeeding long-time rebel leader John Garang, who died in a helicopter crash.

Mr Kiir was re-elected as president in multiparty polls in the south in April 2010. In July 2011, when South Sudan became independent, he became president of the new state.

MEDIA

Constitutional guarantees of media freedom are not respected in practice, and journalists risk harassment and detention over reports deemed unfavourable by the authorities.

Radio is the most popular medium. Private local stations, some of them with foreign funding, broadcast alongside the state-run national network.

TIMELINE

Some key dates in Burundi's history

1956 - Sudan becomes independent but southern states are unhappy with their lack of autonomy. Tensions boil over into fighting that lasts until 1972, when the south is promised a degree of self-government.

1983 - Fighting starts again after the Sudanese government cancels the autonomy arrangements.

2011 - - South Sudan becomes an independent country, after over 20 years of guerrilla warfare, which claimed the lives of at least 1.5 million people and more than four million were displaced.

12013 - Civil war breaks out after the president, Salva Kiir, sacks the cabinet and accuses Vice-President Riek Machar of planning a failed coup. Over 2.2 million people are displaced by the fighting and severe famine puts the lives of thousands at risk.

2018 - Renewed bid to end civil war leads to a power-sharing agreement between the warring sides.