South Sudan became an independent country in 2011. Its independence followed a referendum in which an overwhelming majority of voters chose to separate from Sudan.
The referendum was required by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended the Second Sudanese Civil War between Sudan’s government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. Voting took place in January 2011, and nearly 99 percent of participating voters supported independence.
South Sudan declared independence on 9 July 2011. It became the 54th country in Africa and the world’s newest internationally recognized country at that time. Juba became the national capital, and the new state joined the United Nations in July 2011.
Independence did not resolve every dispute with Sudan. The two countries continued to face disagreements over borders, oil production, and the status of Abyei. South Sudan also experienced a civil war beginning in 2013, despite the earlier peace agreement that had led to statehood.