President Salva Kiir, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama

Despite attempts by some people (South Sudanese) in the United States that South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit should not be granted a visa to attend US-African Leaders Summit in Washington DC, it turned out that President Salva Kiir Mayardit is one of the African Leaders who is favored in the summit.

President Salva Kiir, President Barack Obama and

First Lady Michelle Obama – White House

August 5, 2014

The United States recognized South Sudan as a sovereign, independent state on July 9, 2011 following its secession from Sudan. The United States played a key role in helping create the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that laid the groundwork for the 2011 referendum on self-determination, through which the people of South Sudan overwhelmingly voted to secede. Several disputes between Sudan and South Sudan remain unresolved post-independence, including demarcation of the border, status and rights of the citizens of each country in the other, and the status of the Abyei region. The United States supports the efforts of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel to help the parties work through these issues. On December 15, 2013, longstanding political tensions between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and former Vice President Riek Machar erupted into widespread violence with devastating implications for the South Sudanese people. The United States is supporting the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) as it leads mediation efforts between the parties.

The U.S. Government is the leading international donor to South Sudan, and is providing significant humanitarian assistance to the hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese citizens displaced or otherwise affected by the crisis since December 2013. The U.S. government is helping to provide basic services to citizens; promote effective, inclusive, and accountable governance; diversify the economy; and combat poverty. Increasing stability in South Sudan will depend on a combination of strengthening core institutions and governance processes to make them more inclusive, responding to the expectations of the population for essential services and improved livelihoods, and containing conflicts and addressing the grievances behind them.