US announces revocation of visas from South Sudan

ISTANBUL

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that the country would be revoking all visas for South Sudanese passport holders and blocking new arrivals, alleging that the African nation of not accepting its nationals expelled from the US.

The State Department "is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry," Rubio said in a statement.

He accused the transitional government in Juba of "taking advantage of the United States," saying "every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them."

Washington "will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation," Rubio added.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum.

However, the country has been plagued by conflict since December 2013, when President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed his deputy, Riek Machar, accusing him of plotting a coup.

Despite peace agreements in 2018 and 2022, instability persists, with sporadic violence erupting.

In February, a militia group known as the White Army, largely made up of members of Machar’s Nuer ethnic group, seized a town in the Upper Nile State. In response, several generals and government ministers affiliated with Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition were detained.

On March 7, Kiir urged calm, saying: "We will not allow our country to return to war. The government will address this crisis." However, reports emerged last week that Machar had been placed under house arrest.

Several countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, China, Norway, Poland, Spain, Malaysia, and Austria, have also issued travel advisories for South Sudan.