Salva Kiir Mayardit

Salva Kiir Mayardit
Kiir in 2014
1st President of South Sudan
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 July 2011
Vice President	Riek Machar James Wani Igga Taban Deng Gai Hussein Abdelbagi Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior
Preceded by	Position established
President of Southern Sudan
In office 30 July 2005 – 9 July 2011 Acting: 30 July 2005 – 11 August 2005
Vice President	Riek Machar Teny
Preceded by	John Garang
Succeeded by	Position abolished
First Vice President of Sudan
In office 11 August 2005 – 9 July 2011
President	Omar al-Bashir
Preceded by	John Garang
Succeeded by	Ali Osman Taha
Vice President of Southern Sudan
In office 9 July 2005 – 11 August 2005
President	John Garang
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Riek Machar Teny
Personal details
Born	(1951-09-13) 13 September 1951 (age 73) Akon, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Political party	Sudan People's Liberation Movement
Spouse(s)	Mary Ayen Mayardit Aluel William Nyuon Bany[1][2]
Military service
Allegiance	South Sudan
Commands	Commander-in-Chief of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces South Sudan People's Defence Force Anyanya Battalion
Battles/wars	First Sudanese Civil War Second Sudanese Civil War  • Operation Thunderbolt South Sudanese Civil War

Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 13 September 1951),^[3] also known as Salva Kiir, is a South Sudanese politician who has been the President of South Sudan since its independence on 9 July 2011. Prior to independence, he was the President of the Government of Southern Sudan, as well as First Vice President of Sudan, from 2005 to 2011. He was named Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in 2005, following the death of John Garang.^[4]

Kiir was born to the Dinka ethnic group and joined Anyanya rebels fighting for Southern independence during the First Sudanese Civil War in the late 1960s. Following the outbreak of the Second Sudanese Civil War in 1983, Kiir joined the new Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) rebel group led by John Garang as a member of its armed wing, the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA), eventually becoming the head of the SPLA. Following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the South gained autonomy under the leadership of Garang in July 2005. Following Garang's death at the end of the month, Kiir became the new President of the Southern Autonomous region, as well as First Vice President of the central government. Kiir won re-election as President following the 2010 South Sudanese general election. The following year, South Sudan gained independence after the 2011 South Sudanese independence referendum with Kiir as its inaugural President.