Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the United States is revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, accusing the country's transitional government of
exploiting U.S. immigration policies.
"Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them," Rubio said in a statement. He added that South Sudan's government has "failed to fully respect this principle."
In addition to revoking existing visas, the U.S. will halt the issuance of new visas for South Sudanese nationals in an effort to restrict their entry into the country.
The move comes amid growing instability in South Sudan. The political climate has become increasingly volatile, with recent violent clashes between government forces and armed opposition groups heightening tensions.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently called on global and regional leaders to act swiftly to prevent South Sudan from plunging into another civil war. He described the situation as a “security emergency” and pointed to the arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar as a major flashpoint in the country's ongoing political turmoil. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.
