South Sudan remains the world’s newest country 13 years after its creation, but it retains many age-old problems that led to its cessation.
Formerly recognised as an independent nation in 2011 following a 2005 agreement to end a decades-long civil war, the ten most southern states broke away from Sudan to form South Sudan.
However, after decades of fighting for greater autonomy and sovereignty, the breakaway failed to bring peace to the country.
In 2013, civil war broke out after President Salva Kiir Mayardit sacked his entire cabinet and accused Vice-President Riek Machar of instigating a failed coup.
The ensuing conflict killed thousands and displaced over 4 million people.
A United Nations peacekeeping mission did little to stem the violence that has happened so regularly that it has almost become a way of life.
However, in 2018, a power-sharing agreement was signed between the warring parties, with the president and his former vice-president agreeing to lay down their weapons in exchange for an uneasy peace.
Despite an end to the civil war, conflict in neighbouring Sudan has forced the country to deal with the influx of 500,000 refugees.
It is tempting to conclude the piece on an uplifting note, suggesting that life in the country is set to improve vastly, but that is not the reality.
