Poverty and turmoil: S.Sudan’s post-independence story

South Sudan’s leaders have announced they will remain in power for two years beyond an agreed deadline, drawing criticism from foreign partners.

Here’s a look at the tragic history of the world’s youngest nation.

On July 9, South Sudan declares its independence from Sudan after six years of autonomy and decades of war.

President is Salva Kiir, his deputy is Riek Machar. The rivals, who belong to two different ethnic groups, led the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which spearheaded the push for independence.

Kiir dismisses Machar and all government ministers, their deputies and several police brigades on July 23.

After a night of fighting in the capital Juba, Kiir says his forces thwarted a December 16 coup attempt by Machar, who denies the claim.

Fighting spreads beyond the capital, fueled by rivalries between Kiir’s Dinka group and Machar’s Nuer.

It sparked massacres against each other that escalated into a five-year war.

Machar and Kiir sign a peace agreement in August 2015.

Machar returns to Juba and is sworn in as Vice President on April 26, 2016.

But in July, fighting broke out again between supporters of both leaders. Machar goes into exile, accusing Kiir of trying to have him killed.

Kiir and Machar will meet for the first time in two years on June 20th.

On September 12, they sign a new peace accord to end a war that has killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced some four million.

The deal paves the way for a power-sharing government that, after a long delay and international pressure, will finally be installed in February 2020, with Machar reinstated as vice president.

However, armed violence remains widespread, with recurring bloodshed between rival ethnic groups and an uprising in the south of the country that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

The UN extends its peacekeeping mission several times, as does an arms embargo.

A UN report in April warns that the slow pace of implementation of the peace deal risks a relapse into “large-scale conflict”.

On May 8, after a delay of more than a year, Kiir elected opposition MPs to a new parliament.

In March, the United Nations accused the government of war crimes abuses over last year’s attacks in the south-west and called for investigations into dozens of people, including child abusers.

In the same month, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warns that over 70 percent of South Sudan’s 11 million people will face extreme hunger this year due to natural disasters and violence.

In April, Kiir and Machar agree to create a unified force command, a key provision of the peace accord after years of deadlock.

Four months later, they announce the interim government will remain in power two years beyond the agreed deadline, in a move that foreign partners have been warned of lacking in legitimacy.

Martin Elia Lomuro, Minister for Cabinet Affairs, said the decision was made “to address the challenges that are hampering the implementation of the peace agreement”.

However, the United States, Britain and Norway are boycotting the announcement, expressing concern that the extension did not include consultations with civil society or international partners and other groups.