Salva Kiir in the context of "Sudan People's Liberation Army"

The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the military force of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a key participant of the Second Sudanese Civil War and the subsequent independence of South Sudan. It was led by John Garang, who died in 2005 and was succeeded by Salva Kiir. As of 2010, the SPLA was divided into divisions of 10,000–14,000 soldiers.

Following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, the last remaining large and well-equipped militia, the South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF), under General Paulino Matiep, signed an agreement with Kiir known as the Juba Declaration, which amalgamated the two forces under the SPLA banner.

Regional elections were held in Southern Sudan between 11 and 15 April 2010 as part of the Sudanese general election. The result was a victory for Salva Kiir of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, who received almost 93% of the vote. The winners of these elections would later continue in office upon South Sudan's independence after a referendum in 2011.

As of 2025, these are the last South Sudanese elections.

Upper Nile is a state in South Sudan. The White Nile flows through the state, giving it its name. The state also shares a similar name with the region of Greater Upper Nile, of which it was part along with the states of Unity and Jonglei. It had an area of 77,823 square kilometres (30,048 sq mi). Malakal was the capital of the state. The towns of Upper Nile State include Akoka, Melut, Renk, Kodok along with its numerous counties such as Ulang County, Maiwut County and Nasir County. The Greater Upper Nile is the location of the Fashoda Incident that ended the "Scramble for Africa", and is located in the historical state of Upper Nile. The Upper Nile State seceded from Sudan as part of the Republic of South Sudan on 9 July 2011.

In October 2015, the states of South Sudan were reorganized into 28 states by President Salva Kiir. This was reversed as the result of a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020.