The Government of South Sudan

South Sudan - Government

Based on the etymolgy of South Sudan, it was self-descriptive name from the country's former position within Sudan prior to independence; the name "Sudan" derives from the Arabic "bilad-as-sudan" meaning "Land of the Black [peoples]". The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 10 states; Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Western Equatoria; note - in 2015, the creation of 28 new states was announced and in 2017 four additional states; following the February 2020 peace agreement, the country was again reorganized into the 10 original states, plus 2 administrative areas, Pibor and Ruweng, and 1 special administrative status area, Abyei (which is disputed between South Sudan and Sudan); this latest administrative revision has not yet been vetted by the US Board on Geographic Names

National symbols

African fish eagle; national colors: red, green, blue, yellow, black, white.

The flag

The National flag of South Sudan has three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side contains a gold, five-pointed star; black represents the people of South Sudan, red the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, green the verdant land, and blue the waters of the Nile; the gold star represents the unity of the states making up South Sudan.

note: resembles the flag of Kenya; one of only two national flags to display six colors as part of its primary design, the other is South Africa's

The National Anthem

Title	"South Sudan Oyee!" (Hooray!)
Lyric/music	collective of 49 poets/Juba University students and teachers

note: adopted 2011; anthem selected in a national contest

More about the government of South Sudan

Constitution
Date of Independence	9 July 2011 (from Sudan)
National holiday	Independence Day, 9 July (2011)
Legal system
International law organization participation
History	Previous 2005 (preindependence); latest signed 7 July 2011, effective 9 July 2011 (Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011); note - new constitution pending establishment under the 2018 peace agreement
Amendments	Proposed by the National Legislature or by the president of the republic; passage requires submission of the proposal to the Legislature at least one month prior to consideration, approval by at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the Legislature, and assent of the president; amended 2013, 2015, 2018
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of South Sudan
Dual citizenship recognized	yes
Residency requirement for naturalization	10 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011)
Head of government	President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011)
Cabinet	National Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 to 15 April 2010 (originally scheduled for 2015 but postponed several times, currently to be held in December 2024)
Election results	2010: Salva KIIR Mayardit elected leader of then-Southern Sudan; percent of vote - Salva KIIR Mayardit (SPLM) 93%, Lam AKOL (SPLM-DC) 7%
Legislative branch
Description	Bicameral National Legislature consists of: Council of States, pending establishment as stipulated by the 2018 peace deal Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), established on 4 August 2016, in accordance with the August 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan; note - originally 400 seats; the TNLA was expanded to 550 members from 400 and reestablished in May 2020 under the 2018 peace agreement
Elections	Council of States - pending establishment as stipulated by the 2018 peace deal Transitional National Legislative Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - 332 SPLM, 128 SPLM-IO, 90 other political parties; composition - NA
Election results	Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SPLM 20, unknown 30; composition - men 57, women 27, percentage women 32.1% National Legislative Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SPLM 251, DCP 10, independent 6, unknown 133; composition - men 372, women 178, percentage women 32.4%; total National Legislature percentage women 32.3%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court of South Sudan (consists of a chief justice, deputy chief justice, and 5 additional justices); note - consistent with the 2008 Judiciary Act, the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan calls for 9, rather than 5 additional justices
Judge selection and term of office	Justices appointed by the president (the 2011 Transitional Constitution of South Sudan calls for the establishment of a Judicial Service Council to recommend prospective justices to the president, and for the justices' tenures to be set by the National Legislature; neither of these steps have been effectively implemented as of mid-2023)
Subordinate courts	National level - Courts of Appeal; High Courts; County Courts; state level - High Courts; County Courts; customary courts; other specialized courts and tribunals
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Santino Fardol Watod DICKEN (since 18 September 2024)
Chancery	1015 31st Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20007
Telephone	[1] (202) 600-2238
FAX	[1] (202) 644-9910
Email address and website	[email protected] https://www.ssembassydc.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Michael J. ADLER (since 24 August 2022)
Embassy	Kololo Road adjacent to the EU's compound, Juba
Mailing address	4420 Juba Place, Washington DC 20521-4420
Telephone	[211] 912-105-188
Email address and website	[email protected] https://ss.usembassy.gov/