Salva Kiir Mayardit is the president of semi-autonomous Southern Sudan and the successor to the post of Vice President of Sudan, following the death of John Garang in a crash on 30 July 2005. A founding member of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), he was chosen by the SPLA leadership to continue the peace process that formally ended the Second Sudanese Civil War in January 2005. Like Garang, he is of the Dinka tribe, which is the most numerous in the south, but is from a different clan. Southern Sudan is a region of Sudan. ... John Garang, August 2004 Dr. John Garang de Mabior (June 23, 1945 – July 30, 2005) was the vice president of Sudan and former leader of the rebel Sudan Peoples Liberation Army. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) is a rebel group that was formed in 1983. ... The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it is most accurately a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. ... The Dinka are a people of southern Sudan, inhabiting the swamplands of the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin. ...

In the 1960s, Kiir had joined the southern rebels in the First Sudanese Civil War. By the time of the peace deal of 1972, he had become an officer in the rebel forces and found a position in the regular army. When John Garang joined an army mutiny that he had been sent to quell in 1983, Kiir joined with Garang to found the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), and rose to head its military wing, the SPLA. The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... The First Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1955 to 1972 between the northern part of Sudan and a south that demanded more regional autonomy. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Kiir was involved in the early stages of negotiating the peace treaty that ended the civil war and is well-known to northern politicians. His selection by the SPLM leadership to succeed Garang was seen by analysts as a clear signal that they intended to keep the peace process on course, despite Garang's unexpected death.

John Garang, August 2004 Dr. John Garang de Mabior (June 23, 1945 – July 30, 2005) was the vice president of Sudan and former leader of the rebel Sudan Peoples Liberation Army. ... Southern Sudan is a region of Sudan. ...

External links

• Profile: Salva Kiir, BBC News, 2 August 2005