IN a sharp escalation of immigration enforcement, the United States has revoked all existing visas for South Sudanese passport holders, citing South Sudan’s refusal to accept repatriated nationals ordered to leave the US.
The decision, announced Saturday by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is part of a wider push by President Donald Trump’s administration to crack down on countries it says are obstructing deportations.
In a statement carried by Reuters, Rubio made it clear: ‘Effective immediately, the United States Department of State is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.’
‘Time to stop taking advantage of the US’
Rubio criticised Juba for failing to uphold the international expectation that countries must accept their own nationals once deportation is enforced by a host country.
‘It is time for South Sudan’s transitional government to stop taking advantage of the United States,’ he said, adding that the visa revocation will remain in place until South Sudan fully cooperates.
The US action follows repeated warnings that non-compliant nations could face consequences ranging from visa sanctions to trade-related penalties.
Rising tensions at home as US pressure mounts
The visa ban comes at a sensitive time for South Sudan, where tensions are escalating and fears of a return to civil war are mounting.
This week, African Union mediators arrived in the capital, Juba, to defuse a political crisis sparked by the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar. President Salva Kiir’s government accuses Machar—a former rebel leader during the 2013–2018 civil war—of inciting a fresh rebellion.
Machar’s detention follows renewed violence in the Upper Nile state, where government forces clashed with the White Army militia. While the militia was once aligned with Machar during the country’s previous conflict, his camp has denied any current connection.
Fragile peace hangs in the balance
South Sudan’s five-year civil war claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and was marked by brutal ethnic divisions. Kiir, a member of the Dinka ethnic group, and Machar, from the Nuer community, led opposing factions that drew battle lines along ethnic identities.
Although the war officially ended in 2018 with a peace agreement, the latest tensions have threatened to unravel the fragile truce.
South Sudan’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the US visa revocation, Reuters reported.
The Biden administration’s move highlights growing frustration with governments viewed as obstructing lawful US immigration enforcement. But for South Sudan, already navigating political volatility, the repercussions may go far beyond international travel.
