The United States government has Current visas canceled All passports in southern Sudan and more entries were issued to the country’s citizens due to the failure of the deportation issue, indicating the escalation of the campaign of the Extraordinary Management of the Trump administration on immigration.

In a statement on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed the transitional government of the African nation for the lack of “full cooperation” and accused South Sudan of “benefiting” from Washington. It is the first punishment for any country since President Donald Trump took office in January.

South Sudan officials did not interact with the new ban. In jobs on social media, some South Sudan accused the United States of “bullying” and the use of collective punishment.

East Africa, the smallest in Africa, is currently reeling from a New conflict Between the forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Vice President Rick Mashr. United Nations to caution From the risk of returning to a comprehensive civil war if tensions continue to rise.

Here is what you need to know about the reason for imposing the United States to prohibit the visa and how the citizens of South Sudan can be affected:

What did the United States accuse South Sudan?

Rubio implicitly in statement The government of South Sudan refused to restore the citizens who were deported from the United States. He said that the matter participated in the American national security and ensuring the visa and ban acquisition.

“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in time when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove it,” the statement said.

In a more detailed account of X, on Saturday, also Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau claimed that South Sudan had refused to restore one person who is from the African country because the officials there decided that the Congolese would be after his arrival in Juba. It is believed that the country has accepted several other returning people with the exception of the relevant reference.

Landau claimed that the individual was verified on February 13, as southern Sudan by the country’s embassy in Washington, DC. He also said that the embassy issued an emergency travel message that the United States relied on to send the reference on a trip to Juba. However, upon his arrival there, officials in South Sudan decided that he was not actually from the country and returned it to the United States, Landau said.

There will be no mistake: management potus Realdonaldtrump He is committed to enforcing immigration laws in our nation, and it is expected that all other countries will accept the return of their citizens. The government of South Sudan has violated this commitment …

Deputy Minister Christopher Landau April 5, 2025

“It is clear, at this stage, which is unacceptable and not responsible for government officials in southern Sudan to guess secondly to determine their embassies – as much as we are concerned, the embassy testimony is conclusive and closed the matter.”

He added: “We cannot have a system of restoration to the homeland that allows foreign governments to reopen the eligibility and re -prepare eligibility for a return to the homeland after these governments expressed this eligibility in the past and a return to the homeland was returned.”

What did the South Sudan say?

The government of South Sudan publicly did not comment on the American measures.

Local media reported that 24 citizens of South Sudan were originally deported from the United States and that one of them was restored because it was determined not to be South Sudan by immigration officials.

In a video that was not verified on Facebook by the South Sudanese Blog, Abeyeenthony Media, a man claiming to be the reference concerned by people seemed to be officials in southern Sudan, probably at Juba Airport.

The man, who claimed to be Makula Kento from the north of Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said he believed that his parents were originally from Sudan but was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1977. At that time, South Sudan was part of Sudan. It gained independence in 2011.

The man said he did not choose to travel to South Sudan. “I came to southern Sudan, because I was deported against my will.” “There was a claim that I was delivered by the government of South Sudan because (from) my father.”

Who will be affected?

The conflict in South Sudan, which broke out in 2011, was forced after its independence from Sudan, millions of people fleeing the country. In 2013, violence escalated into a complete civil war, ignited tensions between Kiir and his deputy. It ended in 2018 after reaching a peace agreement, but intermittent violence I continue.

Many southern Sudanese are now residing in neighboring African countries as well as in the United States, Canada and Australia. An estimated 100,000 southern Sudanese resided in the United States by 2007, according to an official in South Sudan at the time. It is not clear that the number of visa owners and the number of Americans is evident.

About 133 southern Sudanese was previously granted a temporary position protected by the administration of former President Barack Obama in 2011 due to the continuous and intersecting conflict in the country. The classification gives work and residency rights to citizens of some countries that are not safe due to conflict and natural disasters, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Cameroon and a handful of other countries.

In 2023, President Joe Biden Administration extended The situation by 18 months to May 3 of this year due to “violations of violence and human rights that affect civilians, as well as environmental, health and security security concerns.”

140 other citizens of South Sudan who have been residing in the United States since September 2023 have also been eligible to apply for a protected situation.

The grades, if not hundreds, from South Sudan in American schools, are many on scholarships.

The basketball team in South Sudan, the best classification in Africa, also has many members who live and play in the United States. The prominent player Khaman Maluach from Duke University, who was expected to join the American Professional League this year, is one of those who could be affected by canceling the Trump administration visa.

In a statement, the university said it was “familiar with the advertisement.”

“We are looking at the situation and are working quickly to understand any traces of Duke students,” said spokesman Frank Trumpl.

Why is the US visa prohibiting southern Sudan now?

Although it is rich in petroleum resources, South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in Africa. The 2013-2018 civil war, which killed more than 400,000 people and explained about four million, contributed to slow economic growth and political instability.

Although the 2018 power sharing agreement between Kiir and Machar has stopped heavy fighting, intermittent tensions and violence have remained. Some reasons for tension include major elements of the deal that are still unstable: the creation of a new constitution and the unification of armed groups in one army. The country did not hold elections, as it was agreed with KIIR officials, who stopped opinion polls twice, citing lack of funding.

Since March, parts of the country have come back to violence, and tensions rose again between Kiir and Machar. I followed the deadly hostilities Clashes Between the White Army, an armed group in Nasser Province in the northeast state of Neil, and the southern Sudanese army alignment.

It is believed that the deployment of the large army in the strongholds of the White Army raised rumors of the forced disarmament planning for local groups and the payment of clashes. According to what was reported, the group exceeded the army base, which led to losses. According to the United Nations, the Sudanese Southern Army used barrel bombs, which are believed to have a very flammable liquid, in air strikes at the white army sites.

The officials appointed by Kiir claimed that the armed group, which had previously fought for Machar during the Civil War, is controlled by the Vice President-SLM/IO party, although the party denied the ties to the recent crisis. Kiir is the head of the Ruling People’s Liberation Movement, the ruling Sudan.

On March 27, Machar was placed under the arrest of the house with his wife, Angelina Tini, the country’s interior minister. Several members of the Splm/IO were arrested or forced to flee their participation after they were targeted. Party He said In a statement last week that the 2018 deal had actually collapsed.

According to what was reported, dozens of people were killed in the Nile Clashes. Neighboring Uganda Watching forces To support the southern Sudanese army early March.

The United States, the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union expressed their concerns about the escalation and urged Machar’s release. On March 8, the United States ordered its non -emergency employees to leave the country. European countries like Germany closed consular operations there.

Last week, the African Union delegation, which was published to speak with both leaders, was not allowed to see Machar in Juba, according to Haro Mawasa from the island. According to the local media, CARE told the African Union officials that Machar will be investigated and an attempt in court despite the failure to announce a date for trial.