More information about South Sudan is available on the South Sudan Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

U.S.-SOUTH SUDAN RELATIONS

The United States recognized South Sudan as a sovereign, independent state on July 9, 2011, following its secession from Sudan. The United States played a key role in helping create the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that laid the groundwork for the 2011 referendum on self-determination, through which the people of South Sudan overwhelmingly voted for independence. Several disputes between Sudan and South Sudan remain unresolved post-independence, including demarcation of the border, status and rights of the citizens of each country in the other, and the status of the Abyei region. The United States supports the efforts of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel to help the parties work through these issues.

On December 15, 2013, longstanding political tensions between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Riek Machar erupted into widespread violence, which led to Machar’s fleeing the country. The United States supported the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in its mediation efforts between the parties, which resulted in the signing of the Agreement to Resolve the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) in August 2015. In April 2016, Riek Machar returned to Juba and, under the terms of the ARCSS, participated in the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity. Progress on implementation of the Agreement was slow, and on July 8, 2016, fighting broke out between forces loyal to Kiir and forces loyal to Machar, and again Machar fled the country. In Machar’s absence, the government launched large-scale offensives throughout the country to consolidate its power, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. During this time, abuses against civilians, including appalling levels of sexual violence, forced more than four million people to flee their homes. The number of people killed in the fighting in the post-independent period is estimated to be over 400,000. In September 2018, the parties signed a Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and in February 2020, the parties formed the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU), and Machar returned to Juba. The South Sudanese government has shown minimal political will to

implement all chapters of the peace agreement. In August 2022, South Sudan’s leaders extended the transitional period of the R-ARCSS until February 2025, again prolonging time in power for leaders who have failed to deliver fully on the peace agreement commitments they made in 2018.

U.S. Assistance to South Sudan

The U.S. Government is the leading international donor to South Sudan, providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance such as food, nutrition, protection, clean water, and sanitation, as well as essential services such as food, nutrition support, emergency water and sanitation interventions, health care, and education to millions of South Sudanese citizens displaced or otherwise affected since the start of the crisis in December 2013. In 2022, an estimated 8.9 million South Sudanese need some type of humanitarian assistance, with up to 8 million facing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity (about 60 percent of the population), making South Sudan one of the most food-insecure countries in the world. South Sudan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers, with more than 145 killed since 2013. The United States provides $1 billion annually in humanitarian and development assistance and peacekeeping support to South Sudan. The U.S. Government also supports civil society and independent media to ensure that diverse voices are heard and supports activities in conflict mitigation, trauma awareness, and reconciliation. Restoring stability in South Sudan will require ending conflicts and addressing the grievances behind them; strengthening core institutions and improving governance transparency processes to make them more inclusive; fighting corruption; and responding to the expectations of the population for essential services and improved livelihoods.

The United States collaborates with multiple United Nations agencies, other donors, and nongovernmental organizations to assist those affected by ongoing violence.

Bilateral Economic Relations

The United States has no significant trade with South Sudan.

South Sudan’s Membership in International Organizations

With independence, South Sudan became the 195th country in the world, and the 193rd member of the United Nations. The UN Security Council established the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan in July 2011 to consolidate peace and security and to help establish conditions for development. The United States pays 27.8 percent of this Mission’s $1.2 billion July 2021 to July 2022 budget.

Bilateral Representation

Principal embassy officials are listed in the Department’s Key Officers List.

South Sudan maintains an embassy in the United States at 1015 31st Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20007.

More information about South Sudan is available from the Department of State and other sources, some of which are listed here:

CIA World Factbook South Sudan Page 
U.S. Embassy
USAID South Sudan Page 
History of U.S. Relations With South Sudan
U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics 
Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions Page (see Sudan) 
Export.gov International Offices Page 
Travel Information

U.S. Department of State

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