People in Bor, South Sudan. Editorial credit: John Wollwerth / Shutterstock.com

South Sudan

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, descended into civil war in 2013, when a rift between President Salva Kiir and the vice president he dismissed, Riek Machar, triggered fighting among their supporters and divided the country along ethnic lines. A peace agreement reached in 2018 further delayed overdue national elections, instituting an uneasy power-sharing arrangement among political elites who have presided over rampant corruption, economic collapse, and atrocities against civilians, journalists, and aid workers.

Iranian people in Izmir protest the death of Mahsa Amini by the morality police in Iran.

Freedom in the World — South Sudan Country Report

South Sudan is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2023, Freedom House's annual study of political rights and civil liberties worldwide.