US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday stressed America's commitment to South Sudan, noting his personal interest as he "was struck by the fact that so many people had died, maybe as many as two million people, in what was Africa's longest war." Kerry was referring, at an online press conference on the African continent, to the 22-year civil war, the second war of the century, between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).The war eventually ended with the signing of a peace agreement in 2005 and South Sudan was then born in 2011, making it the world's youngest nation."I personally visited. I was personally involved. I was there the day of the referendum. We feel invested," he explained."Here we have this new nation that is already in extremis, and we helped give birth to it. We feel this is the part of our responsibility. And we don't want this to cascade into a more violent repetition of the past," said Kerry "So that's why we're committed. We believe this is part of the defining of the future of Africa, and we will remain deeply committed and personally engaged in an effort to try to help the people of South Sudan define their own future in peace and prosperity," he added.South Sudan is currently embroiled in its own civil war that broke out late last year. What began as a conflict between soldiers loyal to the President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, turned into what many are describing as civilian massacres.Half a million people have been displaced since December, and although there are no definitive numbers, reports claim thousands have died.