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The seeds of South Sudan's struggles were planted long before its independence. The journey began in 1956 when British and Egyptian colonial powers relinquished control over Sudan. Tensions between the North and South erupted into decades of violent conflict, culminating in two civil wars. The second civil war ended in 2005 with the promise of autonomy for the Southern region.
An agreement established a semi-autonomous government, with Salva Kiir emerging as the leader of the Southern Sudanese government alongside his rival Riek Machar. This fragile peace laid the groundwork for an independence movement, which reached fruition with an overwhelming vote for independence held between January 9 and 15, 2011.