• Sudan gains its independence from a joint British-Egyptian rule.

  • First civil war between northern and southern parts of Sudan initiates.

  • Oil is discovered in present-day South Sudan.
  • North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement ends the second civil war that took place in 1983; deal provides autonomy for the south.

  • The people of South Sudan vote in favor of full independence from Sudan, after years of tension between nations, however, some border areas remain in dispute.

  • The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan agree to trade, oil, and security deals.

  • Sudan and South Sudan agree to resume pumping oil after a bitter dispute over fees that saw production shut down more than a year earlier.

  • A UN commission on human rights says a process of ethnic cleansing is underway in several parts of the country.

  • A famine is declared in parts of South Sudan in what the UN describes as a man-made catastrophe caused by civil war and economic collapse.

  • President Kiir declares a unilateral ceasefire and launches national dialogue.

  • President Kiir signs power-sharing agreement with Riek Machar and other opposition groups in a bid to end the civil war. The deal will see Machar return to government as one of five vice-presidents.

  • 2 thirds of the South Sudanese population, about 7.7 million people, are likely to face severe food insecurity. 

Sources:

BBC News open_in_new
Britannica open_in_new