South Sudan pushes back elections amid violent flare-ups

South Sudan has been independent from Sudan since 2011, and has not yet held national elections. Since then, the country faces cycles of violence after a civil war led to a tenuous peace deal. South Sudan on Saturday pushed back its first national elections from December to February next year, as the country faces flare-ups of violence and political strife.

"We didn't postpone the elections. We have just adjusted the time to allow other processes to be implemented and that is according to the law," National Elections Commission spokeswoman and Commissioner Josephine Achiro said. According to the World Bank, the vast majority of South Sudanese lack state-recognized ID, creating challenges for voter registration.

Thousands of centers have been established across the country to register voters. South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July 2011 following a referendum. The country has some 12 million people and is one of the impoverished nations on the planet.