60 years of war and peace in South Sudan: A photo timeline

For decades, what is now the Republic of South Sudan was officially part of the Republic of Sudan. The first secession war dates back to 1955, even before British colonialists handed over duties to the new government in Khartoum, with Christian South Sudanese fighting for more independence from the Arab north.

From 1972 to 1983, South Sudan enjoyed relative peace and autonomy before falling back into civil war. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement and Army (SPLM/A) took up the fight, led by John Garang. The group later splintered, with Salva Kiir and Riek Machar holding leading positions in different factions.

In a January 2011 referendum, the South Sudanese people voted for independence. Salva Kiir and Riek Machar were named president and vice president respectively. The new state was based largely on a peace deal struck in 2005 under the auspices of Garang, who died in a helicopter crash weeks after the deal.

The alliance between the enemies-turned-colleagues didn't last long. In July 2013, two years after independence, Kiir dismissed Riek Machar and all other cabinet members. In December, he donned his military uniform for effect when addressing the media, accusing Machar and his allies of attempting a coup. It was the beginning of a civil war that continues to this day.

At least 50,000 people have died in the conflict, despite various attempts at ending it on different levels. 2.4 million people have been forced from their homes. In May 2014, the 14,000-strong UN mission to South Sudan was restructured to focus on the protection of civilians. Building the state no longer seemed a realistic goal to pursue.

Also in May 2015, a meeting of Kiir (far left) and Machar (far right) in Addis Ababa resulted in a ceasefire agreement that sparked hope for peace. Those hopes evaporated when new fighting erupted hours later. Subsequent agreements would be just as short-lived. Not only did the two leaders fail to agree, but observers commented they had long ago lost control over their respective fighters.

The latest peace agreement, signed in August 2015, had a rocky start. President Salva Kiir at first refused to sign but finally gave in to international pressure. Part of the deal was to guarantee Machar's return from his exile in Ethiopia. But there has been quarrelling over the number of fighters and weapons that could accompany him to Juba.

Meanwhile, the conflict has left the country in ruins. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Said Raad al-Hussein, says in a report that both government troops and rebels use rape as a means of terror and warfare. The UN Security Council has decided to put in place a commission to investigate the violence.