The US government has revoked existing visas issued to all South Sudan passport holders, banned further entry of national citizens due to a failed deportation case, and marks the escalation of the Trump administration’s radical crackdown on immigration.
In a statement on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the transitional governments of African countries for lack of “full cooperation” and accused South Sudan of “utilizing” Washington. This is the first such comprehensive sanction in any country since President Donald Trump took office in January.
South Sudan officials have not responded to the new ban. However, in a social media post, some South Sudanese accused the United States of using “bullying” and collective punishment.
The East African nations, the youngest of Africa, are now upset by a new conflict between troops loyal to President Salva Kir and Vice President Leek Machar. The UN warns that if tensions continue to rise, there is a risk of returning to the civil war.
Here’s what you need to know about why the US imposed a visa ban and how South Sudanian citizens will be affected:
People who evacuated to a camp outside Juba, South Sudan on February 13, 2025 [Brian Inganga/AP]
What did the US accuse South Sudan of?
In a statement, Rubio hinted that the South Sudan government has refused to reclaim citizens deported from the United States. The issue involved US national security and guaranteed visa revocation and bans, he said.
“All countries must accept the return of their citizens in a timely manner when other countries, including the United States, try to remove them,” the statement read.
In a more detailed description of X, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Saturday claimed that after South Sudan arrived in Juba he refused to reclaim one person, presumably from an African country, as he determined he was a Kongean. Except for the outcast in question, the country is believed to have accepted several other returned people.
Landau claimed that it was verified as South Sudan by the country’s embassy in Washington, D.C. on February 13th. He also said the embassy issued an emergency travel document that the US relied on to send its citizens on a flight to Juba. However, upon arriving there, South Sudan officials decided he was not actually from the country and sent him back to the United States, Landau said.
There’s no mistake @potus @RealdonaldTrump We are committed to robust enforcement of our country’s immigration laws and hope that all other countries will accept the repatriation of their citizens. The South Sudan government is violating this obligation…
– Deputy Chief Christopher Landau (@deputysecstate) April 5, 2025
“Obviously, at that point, it is unacceptable and irresponsible for South Sudan government officials to make their own embassy decision a second time. As far as we are concerned, the accreditation of the embassy is definitive and the matter is closed,” Landau said in his post.
“We cannot have a repatriation system that allows foreign governments to resume and rely on repatriation eligibility.
What did South Sudan say?
The South Sudan government has not publicly commented on the actions of the United States.
Local media reported that 24 South Sudanians were originally deported from the United States, and one was returned by immigration officials after they decided not to be South Sudan.
In Abeyeinthony Media, an unverified video posted to Facebook by South Sudan’s blog, the man claiming to be the deportee in question is seen being questioned by people who are likely South Sudan officials at the airport in Juba.
The man who claimed to be McCra Kintu from the North Kivu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) believed his parents were originally from Sudan, but they believed they were born in DRC in 1977. At the time, South Sudan was still part of Sudan. He gained independence in 2011.
The man said he did not choose to travel to South Sudan. “I came to South Sudan because I was deported against my will,” he said he was orphaned as a child and was raised by missionaries. “There was an allegation that I had been handed over by the South Sudan government for my parents.”
Who will be affected?
The conflict in South Sudan erupted in 2011 after independence from Sudan forced millions of people to flee the country. In 2013, the violence escalated into a full-scale civil war caused by tensions between Kiel and his deputy Macher. It ended in 2018 after the peace agreement was reached, but sporadic violence continues.
Many South Sudan currently live in the US, Canada and Australia as well as in neighboring African countries. By 2007, 100,000 South Sudanese people were resident in the United States, according to South Sudan officials at the time. It is unclear how many visa owners and how many some Americans are.
About 133 South Sudanese were recognized as temporary protected status by former President Barack Obama in 2011 due to ongoing sporadic conflicts across the country. This classification grants citizens of a particular country the right to work and reside, and is considered unsafe due to conflicts and natural disasters that include Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Cameroon and just one other country.
In 2023, President Joe Biden’s administration extended its position for 18 months until May 3rd this year due to “violence and human rights violations that affect civilians and affect environmental, health and food security concerns.”
Another 140 South Sudanian nationals who had been resident in the United States since September 2023 were also eligible to apply for protected status.
Many, if not hundreds, of South Sudan studies in US schools, are scholarship scores.
Africa’s most-rated South Sudan basketball team has several members living and playing in the United States. Khaman Maluach, a standout Duke University player who was expected to join the NBA this year, is one of those who could be affected by the Trump administration’s visa revocation.
In a statement, the university said it was “aware of the announcement.”
“We’re working quickly to investigate the situation and understand the impact on Duke students,” spokesman Frank Trumbull said.
South Sudan Soldiers Patrol Road in Juba on February 13th, 2025 [Brian Inganga/AP]
Why is the US visa ban a problem for South Sudan?
Although it has a wealth of oil resources, South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in Africa. The 2013-2018 civil war, which killed more than 400,000 people and drove away about 4 million, has contributed to economic growth and reduced political instability.
The 2018 Power Shearing Agreement between Kiir and Machar stopped fierce fighting, but tensions and sporadic violence remain. Several causes of tension include key elements of transactions that remain unimplemented. Creating a new constitution and unifying the armed groups into a single army. The country is also not holding elections, as KIIR officials agreed to postpone the poll twice, citing lack of funds.
Since March, parts of the country have once again fallen into violence, and tensions have risen again between Kiir and Machar. The hostilities followed a fatal clash between the White Army, an armed group from Nasir County in the northeastern state of the Northern Nile, and the South Sudanese army lined up at Kiel.
The massive deployment of the army at White’s base is believed to have sparked rumors of planned forced disarmament by local groups, prompting clashes. The group reportedly overridden the army base and caused casualties. According to the United Nations, South Sudanese forces used barrel bombs that are believed to contain highly flammable liquids in airstrikes at white locations.
Officials appointed to Kiir claim that it is controlled by the Vice Presidential Party, an armed group that fought previously for Machar during the civil war. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM/IO) in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement has denied the party’s link to the latest crisis. Kiel is the head of the Sudanian people’s liberation movement.
On March 27th, Machar was placed under house arrest along with his wife Angelina Tenny, the country’s Minister of Home Affairs. Several members of his SPLM/IO were forced to arrest or escape from their posts after they were allegedly targeted. In a statement last week, the party said that deals in 2018 had effectively collapsed.
Dozens of people reportedly died or injured in the upper Nile River. Nearby Uganda deployed troops to support South Sudanese troops in early March.
The US, the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union have expressed concern over the escalation and urged Machar to be released. On March 8, the United States ordered non-emergency staff to leave the country. European countries like Germany have closed their consuls operations there.
According to Al Jazeera’s Har Mutasa, the AU delegation deployed last week to talk to both leaders was not allowed to see Machar in Juba. Local media said Kiir told AU officials that Machar would be investigated and brought to trial in court, but the date of the charges has not been announced.
