🇸🇸 South Sudan

South Sudan is the world's youngest country, gaining independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war. It then plunged into its own civil war from 2013-2018, which killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced 4 million. The country of 11 million has a GDP of about $5 billion and is almost entirely dependent on oil. South Sudan has some of the worst development indicators on earth — life expectancy is about 58 years, literacy is around 35%, and over 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. The Sudd, one of the world's largest wetlands, covers much of the country during the rainy season.

Oil accounts for about 90% of government revenue, but production has fallen from 350,000 to about 150,000 barrels per day due to conflict damage and lack of maintenance. The oil is exported through a pipeline to Sudan's Port Sudan, giving Sudan leverage. Agriculture is mostly subsistence-level. The South Sudanese pound has collapsed, and the country has experienced hyperinflation. Foreign aid is critical — the UN and NGOs provide basic services to millions. There is essentially no formal private sector outside oil.

South Sudan's Sudd wetland is so vast that it evaporates about half the White Nile's water before it reaches Sudan — it's one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in the world. The country's Dinka and Nuer peoples are among the tallest in the world, with average male heights exceeding 6 feet. South Sudan has more cattle than people — livestock is the traditional measure of wealth.

South Sudan is a humanitarian catastrophe masquerading as a country. The peace agreement is fragile, oil revenue is declining, and basic state functions barely exist. Without sustained international engagement, the situation will deteriorate further.