South Sudanese wars of independence

South Sudanese wars of independence
Part of the Sudanese Civil Wars
Date 1955–1972, 1983–2005 Location South Sudan Result Stalemate[1] Comprehensive Peace Agreement Independence of the Republic of South Sudan following a 2011 referendum Unresolved issues result in the Sudan–SPLM-N conflict, and the South Sudanese Civil War
Belligerents
Sudan Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Arab militias	South Sudan Anyanya South Sudan People's Defence Forces South Sudan Liberation Movement Different Factions and splinter groups
Commanders and leaders
Ismail al-Azhari Gaafar Nimeiry Suwar al-Dahab Sadiq al-Mahdi Omar al-Bashir	Joseph Lagu Gordon Muortat Mayen John Garang Salva Kiir Mayardit Dominic Dim Deng Riek Machar
Casualties and losses
2–3 million dead (mostly civilians, due to starvation and drought)

The South Sudanese wars of independence was the armed struggle for autonomy or independence of South Sudan from Sudan. Rebels in southern Sudan fought for greater self-determination against the central government of Sudan, which tried to suppress the uprising using the army and allied militias. The first civil war lasted from 1955 to 1972, and the second civil war from 1983 to 2005. The reasons for the conflict were the large ethnic, cultural, and religious differences between southern and northern Sudan, the economic exploitation of the natural resources of the south by the north, and the lack of political participation of the Southern Sudanese both in their region and in the country as a whole.