The Trump administration's cancellation of all visas for South Sudanese citizens comes amid the threat of renewed war in the East African country.
The Trump administration's decision over the weekend to cancel visas for all South Sudanese passport holders has compounded the country's growing political and humanitarian problems as it teeters on the brink of civil war, officials and observers said Monday.
Tensions between South Sudan's two political leaders have escalated in recent weeks, particularly after authorities placed the vice president under house arrest in late March. Millions of people also face hunger, displacement and disease as violence intensifies and the United States cuts aid.
Observers say the blanket visa ban shows Washington is backing away from South Sudan, a country the United States helped create nearly 15 years ago, at a time of great need.
“There is a major storm brewing over South Sudan, and the visa ban is only adding to people’s anxiety that something could go wrong,” said Daniel Akech, senior South Sudan analyst at the non-profit International Crisis Group.
On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was waiving visas for South Sudanese citizens and barring them from entering the United States. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on social media that South Sudan had refused to accept the repatriation of one of its citizens.
The Trump administration has not said whether it will seek to deport the South Sudanese citizens whose visas were revoked. The South Sudanese government has not responded to the visa ban announcement, and a government spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
