The US has announced the revoking of visas for South Sudanese passport holders due to the nation’s refusal to accept repatriated citizens.
This decision aligned with President Trump’s controversial immigration policy, which prioritised mass deportations of unlawful migrants.
The move to cancel visas comes amid concerns over South Sudan’s political instability and fears of renewed civil conflict in the country.
The United States has revoked all visas issued to South Sudanese passport holders, citing the African nation’s refusal to accept its repatriated citizens.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this decision on April 5, adding that South Sudanese citizens would also be barred from entering the US at ports of entry.
The US government under Donald Trump cancels visas for South Sudanese passport holders. Photo credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Source: Getty Images
According to the BBC, Rubio criticised South Sudan’s transitional government for failing to cooperate with repatriation efforts, stating:
“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them.”
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau alleged that South Sudan had refused to take back one person presumed to be from the African country because officials there had determined him to be Congolese after he arrived in Juba. It is believed that the country accepted several other citizens who returned, except the deportee in question.
Trump administration’s immigration policy in action:
The visa revocation aligns with President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, which prioritises the removal of unlawful migrants and promises ‘mass deportations’.
South Sudanese nationals in the US had previously been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing them to remain temporarily due to unsafe conditions in their home country. However, TPS for South Sudanese was set to expire on May 3, further complicating their status.
Concerns over South Sudan’s stability:
The decision comes amid growing fears that South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, may descend into civil war.
The country gained independence in 2011 but was plunged into conflict two years later, resulting in over 400,000 deaths. A 2018 peace agreement halted the fighting, but key provisions, including a new constitution and unified armed forces, remain unfulfilled. Recent violence and political tensions have further destabilised the fragile peace, with the US recently evacuating non-emergency staff from South Sudan.
South Sudan reacts to US visa revocation:
Meanwhile, South Sudan’s government on Monday, April 7, issued a statement clarifying a recent deportation dispute with the United States, asserting that the individual at the centre of the issue was not a South Sudanese national, as claimed, but a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The man, who had arrived at Juba International Airport on April 5, 2025, was initially identified in US documents as Nimeri Garang, a South Sudanese national.
However, South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the individual’s true identity is Makula Kintu, a DRC citizen born in North Kivu.
The ministry stated that the individual had presented a South Sudanese travel document under false pretences.
“We have conducted comprehensive verification processes that confirmed the individual’s true nationality as Congolese. In accordance with our immigration protocols, he was not admitted and was subsequently returned to the sending country for further processing,” said Apuk Ayuel Mayen, spokesperson for South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
South Sudan stressed its continued cooperation with US authorities on immigration matters. According to the ministry, the country has facilitated the repatriation of 21 out of 23 identified individuals, with only two confirmed non-South Sudanese nationals: Kintu, a Congolese citizen, and another individual from Sudan. The ministry also noted that Nimeri Garang, for whom the travel document was originally issued, is scheduled to arrive in Juba on May 13, 2025, via Egypt Air. South Sudan expressed regret over the situation and reaffirmed its commitment to working with the United States to resolve the matter through constructive dialogue.
