On 24 February, Salva Kiir, the Vice President of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, launched his reelection campaign in Juba. Kiir sits and the nexus of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and its political wing, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. The former waged a 23-year guerrilla war against the northern Sudanese government in Khartoum. More than 2 million people perished in the conflict.

Nationwide elections are scheduled for April 2010 and will be first of their kind in Sudan since 1986.While the elections process has people excited, some fear that political competition could result in violence between factions. Southern Sudan is highly divided along tribal lines that tensions pervades the political sphere. When an opposition activist torn a photograph of Kiir, he was violently assaulted by an angry mob.

Thousands attended the event and excitement pervaded the air. Given the tense political climate in southern Sudan, security was extremely tight.