JUBA, South Sudan — South Sudan has voiced strong objections to the recent U.S. decision to cancel visas for all its citizens, labeling the move as unjust. This action, they claim, stems from an incident involving not a South Sudanese, but a resident from a different African nation.
On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the decision was due to South Sudan’s administration failing to promptly accept the return of their nationals deported from the U.S.
In response, South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday clarifying that the individual refused re-entry into the U.S. on Friday was actually identified as a Congolese citizen. They confirmed that he was returned to the U.S., and all related documentation was shared with American authorities.
“The government is deeply saddened by the sweeping visa revocation, particularly since it arises from an isolated incident involving an unauthorized claim by someone who is not a South Sudanese national,” the statement elaborated.
Michael Makuei Lueth, South Sudan’s Information Minister, expressed to the press on Monday that the U.S. might be leveraging this tense scenario to critique the country, insisting that no sovereign state would consent to receiving deportees not of its own citizenry.
In the backdrop, South Sudan is grappling with precarious political tensions. In March, the U.N. cautioned that the nation was precariously close to re-entering civil conflict. The country’s vice president and opposition chief, Riek Machar, remains confined under charges of incitement following an attack by affiliated militias on a military base and a U.N. helicopter.
Details remain scarce regarding the exact number of South Sudanese currently in possession of U.S. visas. On social media, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau mentioned that the crux of the matter lies with a single individual, whose return to South Sudan was reportedly refused by Juba and testified by its embassy in Washington. The individual’s identity has not been revealed.
The U.S. has announced a freeze on the issuance of new visas, adding that they are open to revisiting these restrictive measures once South Sudan demonstrates full compliance and cooperation.