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| caption = Kiir in 2014
| office = 1st [[President of South Sudan]]
| vicepresident = [[Riek Machar]]<br>[[James Wani Igga]]<br>[[Taban Deng Gai]]<br>
| term_start = 9 July 2011
| term_end =
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| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse = Mary Ayen Mayardit<br>Aluel William Nyuon Bany<ref>[http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article50469 ''Sudan Tribune'', Kenyan police arrest S. Sudan
| party = [[Sudan People's Liberation Movement]]
| allegiance = [[South Sudan]]
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| battles = [[First Sudanese Civil War]]<br>[[Second Sudanese Civil War]]<br>{{*}}[[Operation Thunderbolt (1997)|Operation Thunderbolt]]<br>[[South Sudanese Civil War]]
}}
'''Salva Kiir Mayardit''' (born 13 September 1951),<ref>{{cite web |title=Biography of H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit |url=https://www.presidency.gov.ss/president.php |website=www.presidency.gov.ss |access-date=4 January 2021 |archive-date=11 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811214544/https://presidency.gov.ss/president.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> also known as '''Salva Kiir''', is a [[South Sudanese]] politician who has been the [[
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 [[Southern Sudan Autonomous Region (2005–2011)|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.
== Early life ==
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[[File:Salva Kiir-3, by Stein Ove Korneliussen.jpg|thumb|left|Salva Kiir Mayardit in [[military uniform]]]]
In the late 1960s, Kiir joined the [[Anyanya]] battalion in the [[First Sudanese Civil War]]. By the time of the 1972 [[Addis Ababa Agreement (1972)|Addis Ababa Agreement]], he was
==South Sudanese politics==
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===Domestic policy===
On 18 June 2013, Kiir issued an order lifting the immunity of two ministers in the national government pending investigations into an alleged corruption case in which they appeared to be implicated. He also issued an order suspending Cabinet Affairs Minister [[Deng Alor Kuol]] and Finance Minister [[Kosti Manibe Ngai]] from their duties during the entire duration of the probe. In July 2013, Kiir sacked his entire cabinet, including his vice president, [[Riek Machar]], ostensibly to reduce the size of government. However, Machar said that it was a step towards [[dictatorship]] and that he would challenge Kiir for the presidency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2013/07/20137287019670555.html|title=South Sudan gripped by power struggles
Kiir told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that [[homosexuality]] is not in the "character" of Southern Sudanese people. "It is not even something that anybody can talk about here in southern Sudan in particular. It is not there and if anybody wants to import or to export it to [[South Sudan]], it will not get the support and it will always be condemned by everybody," he said. He then went on to refer to homosexuality as a "mental disease" and a "bastion of Western immorality".<ref name="RNW">{{cite news|url=http://www.africanactivist.org/2010/08/south-sudan-president-condemns.html|title=South Sudan President Condemns Homosexuality|publisher=African Activist News|access-date=2 June 2011|archive-date=3 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903101638/http://www.africanactivist.org/2010/08/south-sudan-president-condemns.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
# In December 2011, 6,000 [[
# A lack of accountability and justice pertaining to the [[Criminal investigation|investigation]], arrest and prosecution of the individuals who carried out the violence against civilians of both the Nuer and Murle ethnic groups is widely believed to have contributed massively to, if not categorically, the [[mass murder]]s, as well as the continued perpetration of the ethnic violence.<ref name=":0" /> Kiir established a [[figurehead]] "Investigation Committee" with an ostentatious [[Mandate (politics)|mandate]] to investigate those responsible for the mass murders and murders, but as of January 2013 no finances had been allocated to the "Investigation Committee" or any of its members sworn in to commence the investigation and bring those to justice.<ref name=":0" />
# Throughout the [[Jonglei]] [[disarmament]] "Operation Restore Peace" which began in March 2012 and continued throughout the year, soldiers were ordered to and assumed the responsibility of [[extrajudicial killing]]s, severe [[battery (crime)|beatings]], binding people with rope, and torture to [[Forced confession|extract "information"]] regarding the whereabouts of weapons.
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==== Consolidation of power ====
After rumors about a planned [[
as troublesome in regards to a power grab by others. Kiir had also suggested that his rivals were trying to revive the rifts that had provoked infighting in the 1990s.<ref name=guardian20130724/>
On 7 May 2013 Kiir dismissed legal advisor Justice [[Ajonye Perpetua]] and deputy Foreign Minister [[Elias Nyamlell Wako]].
Kiir had announced that he would no longer tolerate criticism by members of his cabinet.<ref name=crisiswatch201305>{{citation |url=https://www.crisisgroup.org/crisiswatch/database?page=1&location%5B0%5D=13&da= |publisher=International Crisis Group |date=May 2013 |accessdate=2023-09-25 |title=South Sudan}}</ref>
In July, Kiir sacked his entire cabinet, leading experts to warn of upcoming "a full-blown catastrophe".<ref name=guardian20130724>{{Cite web |date=2013-07-24 |title=South Sudan president sacks cabinet in power struggle |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/24/south-sudan-salva-kiir-sacks-cabinet |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> In December 2013, Kiir accused his vice President and other Party members of plotting a coup, leading him to arrest those politicians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final report of the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan
==== Murder and torture of journalists ====
Moi Peter Julius, who was a political reporter for a South Sudanese newspaper ''The Corporate'', was found murdered late on the night of 19 August 2015 in a residential area of [[Juba]] after being shot twice from behind. His murder was committed three days after Kiir publicly and officially threatened journalists, stating that "freedom of the press does not mean that you work against your country. If anybody does not know that this country will kill people, we will demonstrate on them."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://globaljournalist.org/2015/08/south-sudan-reporter-killed-in-apparent-targeted-attack/|title=South Sudan reporter killed in apparent targeted attack
In December 2022, Kiir lost control of his bladder and involuntarily urinated into his clothing during a road opening ceremony. Six staff of the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation were subsequently arrested on 7 January 2023 in relation to video of the urination, which was widely distributed online. The last of the journalists was eventually released on the 18th of March 2023 without charge.
===Foreign policy <ref>{{Cite web |title=EAC History |url=https://www.eac.int/eac-history |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=www.eac.int}}</ref>===
[[File:President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan.jpg|thumb|Kiir with US President [[Barack Obama]] in Washington, D.C., 5 August 2014]]
[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meeting the President of South Sudan, Mr. Salva Kiir Mayardit, in New Delhi on October 30, 2015 (1).jpg|thumb|Kiir with Indian [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Narendra Modi]], 30 October 2016]]
[[File:Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi (2019-10-24).jpg|thumb|Kiir at the [[Russia–Africa Summit 2019]] in Sochi on 24 October 2019]]
In mid-October 2011, Kiir announced South Sudan had applied for accession to the [[East African Community]]. He declared the [[East African Community]] to be "at the center of our hearts" due to its members' support of
On 20 December 2011, Kiir [[Israel-South Sudan relations|visited]] [[Israel]] to thank it for its support during the [[First Sudanese Civil War]] from 1956 to 1972,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/12/20/183573.html|title=Al Arabiya, 12/20/2011|publisher=Alarabiya.net|date=20 December 2011|access-date=21 January 2014}}</ref> and met with Israeli president [[Shimon Peres]] to discuss establishing an [[
After the outbreak of the South Sudanese civil war, Salva Kiir delivered a speech in January 2014 lashing out at the United Nations and
In March 2014, Kiir's government organized a rally accusing the United Nations of colluding with anti-government forces. Protesters carried signs accusing the UN of arming anti-government forces.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-peace-protesters-against-un/1868885.html|title=South Sudan Peace Protesters Rail Against UN|last=Rwakaringi|first=Mugume Davis|date=14 March 2014|work=Voice of America|access-date=15 October 2015}}</ref>
Relations between Kiir's government and some erstwhile supporters deteriorated since the start of the civil war. He disclosed in an op-ed published in his name in the Washington Times in October 2015 that unnamed "international partners in peace" had threatened his [[government]] with [[
====Heglig crisis and war with Sudan====
{{Main|Heglig Crisis}}
On 26 March 2012, the South Sudanese army attacked the oilfield in the town of [[Heglig]] (known also to the Dinka of the Unity state as [[Panthou]]), located between the border of the Sudanese state of [[South Kordofan]] and the South Sudanese state of [[Unity State|Unity]], triggering the [[Heglig Crisis]]. On 27 September, Kiir met [[List of heads of state of Sudan|Sudanese President]] Omar al-Bashir and signed eight agreements in [[Addis Ababa]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theglobalobservatory.org/2012/10/negotiating-peace-in-the-sudans-the-addis-ababa-cooperation-agreement/|title=Negotiating Peace in the Sudans: The Addis Ababa Agreement|last=Affa'a-Mindzie|first=Mireille|date=9 October 2012|website=IPI Global Observatory|language=en-US|access-date=31 January 2019}}</ref> Ethiopia, which led the way to resume important oil exports and create a {{convert|6|mi|km|0|order=flip|adj=on}} [[Demilitarized zone|demilitarized]] zone along their border. The agreements allow for the return of {{convert|350,000|oilbbl|L|order=flip|abbr=off}} of [[Demographics of South Sudan|South Sudanese]] oil to the world market. In addition, the agreements include an understanding of the parameters to follow in regards to demarcating their border, an economic cooperation agreement and a deal to protect each other's citizens. Certain issues remain unsolved and future talks are scheduled to resolve them.▼
▲On 26 March 2012, the South Sudanese army attacked the oilfield in the town of [[Heglig]] (known also to the Dinka of the Unity state as [[Panthou]]), located between the border of the Sudanese state of [[South Kordofan]] and the South Sudanese state of [[Unity State|Unity]], triggering the [[Heglig Crisis]]. On 27 September, Kiir met [[
On 25 November 2012, South Sudan launched a formal complaint to the [[United Nations Security Council]] (UNSC) against Sudan in the wake of aerial bombings carried out by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in parts of South Sudan's northern Bahr el Ghazal state, killing at least eight people and injuring an equal number. South Sudan treated the attack as a gross violation of the cooperation agreement the two country's leaders signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 27 September.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201211250310.html|title=South Sudan: Juba to File Complaint to UN Security Council Over Khartoum Aggression|publisher=allAfrica.com|date=25 November 2012|access-date=21 January 2014}}</ref>▼
▲On 25 November 2012, South Sudan launched a formal complaint to the [[United Nations Security Council]] (UNSC) against Sudan in the wake of aerial bombings carried out by the [[Sudan Armed Forces]] (SAF) in parts of South Sudan's northern [[Bahr el Ghazal (region of South Sudan)|Bahr el Ghazal]] state, killing at least eight people and injuring an equal number. South Sudan treated the attack as a gross violation of the cooperation agreement the two country's leaders signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 27 September.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201211250310.html|title=South Sudan: Juba to File Complaint to UN Security Council Over Khartoum Aggression|publisher=allAfrica.com|date=25 November 2012|access-date=21 January 2014}}</ref>
===Political crisis===
{{See also|Ethnic violence in South Sudan}}
In September 2013, an article appeared on the [[South Sudan]] News Agency website.<ref>[https://ssnanews.com/index.php/2013/09/05/the-splm-and-the-rise-of-autocracy-in-south-sudan/ The SPLM and the Rise of Autocracy in South Sudan]</ref> The article was authored by a South Sudanese analyst and critical writer by the name Duop Chak Wuol. In his writings, Duop criticized the ruling [[SPLM]] party and warned of widespread consequences if party doesn't fix its growing autocratic policies. Duop also predicted negative results the young nation would face if a civil war break out. Tensions rose between Kiir and his former vice president [[Riek Machar]] in December 2013 in the lead-up to a meeting of the National Liberation Council (NLC) of the ruling SPLM party. After two days of NLC meetings, on the night of 15 December 2013 shooting erupted within Salva Kiir's Presidential Guards. The next day, Kiir denounced Machar and other senior SPLM officials for staging a failed coup against his government, a claim later denied by Machar and others. These events marked the start of the [[South Sudanese Civil War]].<ref name="southsudannation.com">{{Citation|title=It wasn't a coup: Salva Kiir shot himself in the foot|url=http://www.southsudannation.com/it-wasnt-a-coup-salva-kiir-shot-himself-in-the-foot/|newspaper=South Sudan nation|access-date=12 November 2015|date=20 December 2013|archive-date=12 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012033547/http://www.southsudannation.com/it-wasnt-a-coup-salva-kiir-shot-himself-in-the-foot/|url-status=dead}}</ref> About 400,000 people were estimated to have been killed in the war by April 2018, including notable atrocities such as the [[2014 Bentiu massacre]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southsudan-unrest-toll/study-estimates-190000-people-killed-in-south-sudans-civil-war-idUSKCN1M626R| work=Reuters| title=Study estimates 190,000 people killed in South Sudan's civil war| date=26 September 2018|access-date=26 September 2018}}</ref>
===Assassination plot===
According to a [[List of diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia|Saudi Arabian diplomatic]] cable released by [[WikiLeaks
=== Business interests ===
Kiir is reported to be the part-owner of ABMC Thai-South Sudan Construction Company Limited.
With Garang Deng Aguer and Benjamin Bol Mel
According to a report by [[Radio Tamazuj
===South Sudan famine===
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===Marriage controversy===
In a politically charged social issue, it has been claimed that Kiir secretly married the daughter of former comrade, the late [[William Nyuon Bany]], an ethnic Nuer and former leader of the [[
=== Religion ===
Kiir is [[Catholic]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}
==References==
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* [http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1417&fuseaction=topics.event_summary&event_id=152220 Kiir's Speech on First Visit to Washington] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716080924/http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1417&fuseaction=topics.event_summary&event_id=152220 |date=16 July 2011 }}, at [[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]], 4 November 2005
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120929100056/http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2011/09/south-sudan-general-debate-66th-session.html Address by President Salva Kiir] to the 66th session of the [[United Nations General Assembly]], 23 September 2011 (video; [https://web.archive.org/web/20150124033600/http://gadebate.un.org/66/south-sudan-republic summary and transcript])
* [http://africanarguments.org/2014/10/13/profile-salva-kiir-south-sudans-commander-in-chief-image-vs-reality/ Profile: Salva Kiir
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| years = 2005–2011
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|office}}
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| years = 2011–present
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