U.S. cancels South Sudan visas amid repatriation dispute

The United States recently announced that it would revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and suspend the issuance of new visas, effective immediately. The decision stems from South Sudan’s failure to accept the return of its citizens repatriated from the U.S., a move that aligns with the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts. The U.S. Department of State indicated that this policy targets South Sudan for not adhering to the expectation that countries must promptly take back their nationals when another nation seeks to deport them.


The visa revocation affects all current South Sudanese visa holders and bars them from entering the United States. The State Department emphasized that these measures could be revisited if South Sudan demonstrates full cooperation in accepting its repatriated citizens. South Sudan’s embassy in Washington has not yet responded to requests for comment on the policy shift.




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The announcement coincides with growing concerns over stability in South Sudan, where fears of a return to civil war are mounting. African Union mediators arrived in the capital, Juba, this week to hold talks aimed at preventing further escalation. The mediation efforts follow the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar last week by the government of President Salva Kiir. The government has accused Machar of attempting to incite a new rebellion, a charge that comes amid weeks of fighting in the northern Upper Nile state between the military and the White Army militia.


The U.S. visa revocation adds another layer of pressure on South Sudan’s transitional government, already grappling with internal strife. The administration in Washington has made immigration enforcement a priority, targeting undocumented individuals for repatriation and holding foreign governments accountable for delays in the process. South Sudan’s refusal to accept its citizens has now triggered this significant diplomatic and immigration response.

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As mediators work to avert conflict in Juba, the international community watches closely. The combination of domestic unrest and U.S. sanctions underscores the challenges facing South Sudan, where political rivalries and ethnic fractures threaten to unravel fragile peace efforts. For now, South Sudanese nationals face an immediate barrier to U.S. entry, with their government’s next steps likely to shape both domestic stability and international relations.