 Now, the Government of South Sudan has ordered the population to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its independence in private, officially because of COVID-19. The country which officially came into being on July 9, 2011, before plunging into a bloody civil war between 2013 and 2018 has not held a ceremony for the occasion since 2014. According to Deputy Information Minister Baba Madan, South Sudanese ministers express concerns about holding possible events in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic during a government meeting on Wednesday. The swearing of members of the reconstituted parliament, which had been announced in late May, was initially announced but was postponed without further details.