South Sudan says the measure against its nationals by Washington was imposed based on an incident of “misrepresentation”
The government of South Sudan has denied claims by the US that it has refused to accept deported citizens, a move that resulted in Washington revoking all visas for the East African country’s nationals.
In a statement on Monday, the South Sudanese Foreign Ministry said that a deportee who arrived at the Juba International Airport over the weekend was not allowed entry because the individual is from a different African state.
“Upon arrival, it was determined that the individual who presented a South Sudanese travel document under the name Nimeri Garang is not Nimeri Garang. Comprehensive verification processes confirmed that this individual is a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo, named Makula Kintu,” it stated.
“In accordance with our immigration protocols, he was not admitted and was subsequently returned to the sending country for further processing,” the ministry added.
Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has expedited the removal of foreigners living in the country illegally. He has implemented a number of measures, including allowing the deployment of the armed forces to secure the border and expanding detention facilities to hold thousands of migrants.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that all visas issued to South Sudanese passport holders would be cancelled immediately, and new ones will not be authorized to prevent their entry into America. Rubio claimed that the landlocked state’s transitional authorities have failed to uphold the principles of Trump’s immigration policy, such as swiftly admitting repatriated citizens. The senior diplomat has said the US will be prepared to review its actions against South Sudan when it fully cooperates.
On Monday, the South Sudanese government said it has consistently demonstrated goodwill and cooperation with the US on immigration and deportation issues.
“The government deeply regrets that despite this history of collaboration and partnership, South Sudan now faces a broad revocation of visas based on an isolated incident involving misrepresentation by an individual who is not a South Sudanese national,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Africa’s newest state gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but has faced turbulence since a five-year-long civil war ended in 2018. Renewed political tensions following the arrest of the country’s first vice president, Riek Machar, who shares power with President Salva Kiir Mayardit, have sparked widespread fears of a new civil war.
