Sudan was controlled by Egypt for over 150 years during the Muhammad Ali Dynasty of Egypt. It was not until 1956, when many countries in the Middle East were gaining independence, did Egypt relinquish its hold and allow Sudan to became an independent state. This was only the beginning of trouble, as a vicious civil war soon erupted.
On this day July 9th, in 2011, South Sudan gains its independence from Sudan. The breakaway republic was recognized by the United Nations and joined the African Union, but its independence is strewn with hardship and loss of life. The first civil war began around the time that Sudan became an independent country and raged on until a ceasefire was called in 1972. Approximately 1 million people were killed during this time. There was 11 years of peace, but a second civil war erupted. Finally in 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement put an end to the violence.
Before the formation of South Sudan, a 2011 a referendum (a vote made by the people) showed that over 98% of the area’s population wanted to have independence from Sudan. Following the split, a new civil war erupted and continues still. Famous web icon, Joseph Kony, operates much of his brutal organization within South Sudan.