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| Salva Kiir | |
|---|---|
| Name | Salva Kiir |
| Birth name | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Birth date | 1951 |
| Birth place | Bahr el Ghazal, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan |
| Nationality | South Sudanese |
| Occupation | Politician, former military officer |
| Known for | First President of South Sudan |
Salva Kiir
Salva Kiir is a South Sudanese politician and former military officer who has served as the first President of South Sudan since the country's independence in 2011. He was previously Vice President of Sudan and a senior commander in the Sudanese People's Liberation Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War. His tenure has been marked by the transition from insurgency to statehood, ongoing internal conflict, and international mediation efforts involving neighboring countries and multilateral organizations.
Born in the Bahr el Ghazal region of what was then Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Kiir belongs to the Dinka people ethnic group and grew up in a rural cattle-herding community. He attended local schools before entering military training at the Haroun Gamar National Defence College equivalent institutions and later undertook further military courses in countries such as Egypt, United Kingdom, and United States-aligned training programs. His early formative years coincided with the First and Second Sudanese civil wars, which shaped many Southern leaders' trajectories, including contemporaries like John Garang, Riek Machar, and William Nyuon Bany.
Kiir joined the rebel movement that evolved into the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and rose through the ranks amid the guerrilla conflict against the Government of Sudan in Khartoum. Serving under SPLA leader John Garang de Mabior, Kiir commanded formations in operations across Upper Nile, Bahr el Ghazal, and Equatoria, engaging in battles and maneuvers pivotal to the SPLA's strategic posture. During internal SPLA splits and defections—most notably the 1991 SPLA-Nasir faction led by Riek Machar and Lam Akol—Kiir remained aligned with Garang's faction, later assuming higher command responsibilities and administrative roles within SPLA structures and SPLA-affiliated provisional institutions, such as the Government of Southern Sudan interim bodies established by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the SPLA, Kiir was appointed to senior positions in the Government of Southern Sudan and later became Vice President of Sudan and President of Southern Sudan after Garang's death in 2005 in a helicopter crash that also killed Riek Machar briefly rumored to be involved in rivalries. Kiir consolidated political authority through appointments across Southern regional institutions, navigating alliances and rivalries with figures such as Riek Machar, Pagan Amum, Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, and James Hoth Mai. His leadership guided the Southern polity through the 2011 referendum on South Sudanese independence that led to the proclamation of South Sudan as a sovereign state.
As President of the newly independent Republic of South Sudan, Kiir presided over the establishment of state institutions, national symbols, and security architectures including the South Sudan Democratic Movement-era integrations and attempts to unify various militias into national forces like the South Sudan People's Defense Forces. Domestic policy priorities included oil revenue management with partners such as Chevron Corporation-era legacies and negotiations with Sudan over transit fees, as well as decentralization debates involving states like Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Unity State. His administration faced challenges delivering basic services, implementing development plans, and responding to intercommunal violence in regions including Akobo and Malakal.
Kiir's foreign policy involved engagement with regional actors including Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, and international mediators such as the African Union, the United Nations, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. He participated in multiple peace processes addressing internal armed opposition and power-sharing disputes with rivals like Riek Machar and rebel leaders such as Paul Malong Awan and Peter Gadet. Key agreements during his tenure included ceasefire deals and the 2015 and 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan-related accords facilitated by envoys from IGAD and guarantors including United States and Norway diplomats.
Kiir's presidency has been accompanied by international criticism and allegations from organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan concerning atrocities, ethnic-targeted violence, and displacement tied to the 2013–2018 civil conflict. Accusations have included misuse of military power against opponents, targeting of Dinka and other communities, restrictions on press freedoms involving outlets like Radio Miraya, and suppression of political dissent involving figures like Tonga Moses-style activists. Corruption allegations have implicated senior officials within his administration and state-owned enterprises managing oil revenues, triggering sanctions from countries including the United States and travel and asset measures by the European Union in various instances.
His personal life is characterized by his membership in the Dinka community, Christian faith through denominations present in South Sudan such as Roman Catholicism and Presbyterianism-influenced churches, and familial ties within Southern elite networks including relatives who have held military and political posts. Kiir's leadership style reflects a blend of liberation-era legitimacy associated with the SPLA and centralized presidential practices paralleled in other post-conflict African leaders like Julius Nyerere and Jomo Kenyatta in terms of state-building emphasis. He has received visits from international leaders including representatives from the United States, China, and European Union institutions during efforts to secure reconstruction aid and diplomatic recognition.
Category:Presidents of South Sudan Category:South Sudanese politicians Category:South Sudanese military personnel