Rubio said the freeze will be enforced until South Sudan “completely cooperate.”
The State Department has announced it will freeze all existing and new visas in South Sudan that are seeking entry into the United States, citing the transitional government’s refusal to accept their countrymen being deported from the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new visas and travel restrictions on Saturday, denounced leadership in East African countries “using the US.”
“Immediately, the US Department of State will take steps to cancel all visas held by South Sudan passport holders, preventing further issuances to prevent South Sudan passport holders from entering the United States.”
The secretary said the freeze would continue until “South Sudan is fully cooperating.”
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South Sudan is on the verge of returning to civil war after its first vice president was placed on house arrest, and was accused by a transitional government president of inciting a rebellion in Nasir on the Nile River in Upper Nile in March.
The arrest threatens the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war between President Salva Kir and troops loyal to First Vice President Leek Machar. The transaction saw the formation of a transitional National Unity Government (RTGONU) revived in February 2020. The fatal conflict rooted in the joint tension between the Dinka community of KIRR and the nuer community of Machar had an estimated lifespan of 400,000 people.
The transitional government also faces security challenges in Upper Nile, where government forces clash with opposition parties.
