Salva Kiir: South Sudan’s president in a cowboy hat

Tens of thousands have been killed and terrible atrocities have been carried out by both sides – often along ethnic lines.

Mass rape has been used as a weapon of war and UN reports have detailed human rights abuses.

President Kiir ordered unrestricted access for aid groups in 2017 when the country declared famine in two counties.

A rapid aid response averted the crisis, but the UN has warned that 150,000 could slip into famine in 2018.

Both sides signed a peace deal in 2015, which saw Mr Machar sworn in as first vice-president in 2016.

But President Kiir dismissed him in the wake of renewed violence and the deal fell apart.

In 2018, the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, announced that Washington had given up on Mr Kiir, calling him an “unfit partner” in the pursuit of peace.

Under international pressure to end the conflict, both Mr Kiir and Mr Machar met in June 2018 in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Regional leaders have proposed a way forward – a coalition government that would see Mr Machar take up his old position of vice-president while civil society, women and religious groups will be included in government and parliament.

But this may prove the biggest challenge yet for Mr Kiir – working with a man he clearly loathes for the sake of the South Sudanese people.