South Sudan is the world’s youngest country, made up of 10 states, and home to over 60 different major ethnic groups. Salva Kiir Mayardit became president of South Sudan—then still part of Sudan—and head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005, succeeding long-time rebel leader John Garang, who died in a helicopter crash. Kiir was reelected in 2010. In 2011, when South Sudan became independent, he became president of the new state.
