Who is Salva Kiir, the former rebel leading fractured South Sudan?

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit prepares for a group photo during the opening of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union at the African Union Commission (AUC) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, February 15, 2025. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo

(Reuters) - When South Sudan declared independence from Sudan in 2011 to a chorus of worldwide congratulations and celebrations, rebel-leader-turned-president Salva Kiir promised his people freedom and democracy.

Two years later, he fired his Vice President, Riek Machar, triggering a civil war that fractured his young nation along ethnic lines. Global and regional powers pressed for a settlement.