The United States has announced that it will revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders. This follows the failure by the government of South Sudan to accept the return of its repatriated citizens.
“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,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
The United States says that South Sudan failed to respect the principle that every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the US seeks to remove them. According to the Secretary of State, the troubled South Sudan nation has been taking advantage of the United States.
“It is time for the Transitional Government of South Sudan to stop taking advantage of the United States,” he said.
Rubio however noted that the new measures against South Sudan shall be reviewed when the country agrees to honour its obligations. “We will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation,” he said.
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Previously, South Sudanese passport holders in the US had been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This was a type of status that allowed them to remain in the US for a set period of time and was set to expire by May 3, 2025.
However, the country has found itself on the edge as the government of President Donald Trump implements a series of immigration changes that have sparked mass deportations from the US.
South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011 is currently on the verge of a total breakdown. On 8 March, the BBC reports that the US ordered all “its non-emergency staff in South Sudan to leave as regional fighting broke out.”
