South Sudan History Facts and Timeline

(South Sudan, SS, North-East Africa)

The modern-day history of South Sudan began as recently as July 9th 2011, when this new landlocked country was officially formed following an important referendum, after years of tension during its campaigning for independence.

Belonging to East Africa, South Sudan's story really starts way back in the 10th century. It was at this time when the tribes of the Dinka, Nilotic, Nuer and Shilluk peoples began to settle in this country, establishing small communities for themselves.

Much remained the same over the following centuries, that is until the 15th century came along. History remembers how this century saw the arrival of migrating tribes, with these peoples choosing to relocate here from areas such as Bahr el Ghazal.

Early Civilisations

One of the earliest civilisations of note to arrive in South Sudan were the Azande peoples, whose descendants currently reside within the towns and cities of Maridi, Tambura and Yambio. These ancestral homes are based around Western Bahr el Ghazal and Western Equatoria.

When the 18th century presented itself, the Azande saw many conflicts and disagreements with neighbouring tribes, such as those of the Moru and the Mundu. At this time in the history of South Sudan, it was the Avungaras who began to noticeably rise to power and they soon dominated the Azandes and the other tribes. The Avungara peoples remained mighty and powerful right up until the 20th century, despite unsuccessful attempts by Egypt to control the entire nation.

Modern-Day History of South Sudan

South Sudan is not an especially large African country and comes with a population of some 8.5 million people, although it is generally agreed that this figure is something of a wild estimate, due to a lack of an accurate census and statistics. Much of the economy is relatively rural in its nature, being reliant upon basic farming.

The lengthy First Sudanese Civil War (1955 to 1972) and the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983 to 2005) took their toll on the country and saw battles spread all the way to the Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains. More recently, a historic referendum was held from the 9th to the 15th January 2011, to determine whether or not South Sudan should be established as a separate country and split from Sudan as a whole.

The results of the vote were almost unanimous that South Sudan should got it alone, with close to 99% of the population voting for independence. However, there are still a number of unresolved disputes that linger on, such as how revenues from oil drilling should be shared out.

Today, South Sudan is hopeful of a prosperous and more politically stable modern-day history, although periods of unrest continually raise their heads, meaning that this is not yet considered to be a tourist destination as such. However, the more adventurous and intrepid of travellers may like to pay a visit to the cities of Bentiu, Juba (the current capital city), Malakal, Rumbek and Yei, as well as Ramciel, the proposed capital of the future. These cities come with a reasonable infrastructure and solid roads, although travelling from city to city is often an eventful journey.