The United States has taken dramatic action against South Sudan, revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and restricting further issuance with immediate effect.
This sweeping measure, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday, April 5, 2025, comes in response to the South Sudanese transitional government’s failure to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner.
The decision unfolds against a backdrop of escalating violence and political instability in Africa’s youngest nation, which appears to be sliding toward another devastating civil war.
The US Visa Revocation Decision
In a strongly worded statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the transitional government of South Sudan has been “taking advantage of the United States.”
He emphasized that enforcing immigration laws is critical to national security and public safety, stating: “Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them.” The visa revocation affects all South Sudanese passport holders and prevents any new visas from being issued, effectively blocking entry to the United States for South Sudanese nationals.
Rubio did offer a path to normalizing the situation, noting that the US would be “prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.”
This approach mirrors a similar move made by the Trump administration in January against Colombia, which quickly reversed its stance after being threatened with visa revocations and export tariffs for refusing to allow US military flights carrying Colombian deportees.
The visa revocation is part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to expedite the deportation of foreign nationals from the United States, a key campaign promise. This marks the first such measure targeting all passport holders from a specific country since Donald Trump returned to the White House on January 20, 2025.
South Sudan’s Deepening Political Crisis
The US visa restrictions come at a particularly volatile time for South Sudan, as the nation faces what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently described as “a security emergency” with intensifying clashes and “political upheaval.”
The situation deteriorated significantly in March when South Sudanese President Salva Kiir placed First Vice President Riek Machar under house arrest, effectively dismantling the fragile power-sharing agreement that had maintained relative peace since 2018.
The arrest followed violent clashes in Nasir County in Upper Nile state between government forces (SSPDF) and a local armed militia known as the White Army, which is linked to Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO). The conflict has strong ethnic dimensions, with most White Army fighters belonging to Machar’s Nuer ethnic group, while President Kiir is from the Dinka community.
On March 18, the SPLM-IO announced the immediate suspension of its participation in key security and political mechanisms established under the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), citing the detention of its officials, escalating violence, and the presence of Ugandan troops in the country.
International Response to the Crisis
The international community has expressed growing concern about South Sudan’s trajectory. On March 24, the United Nations warned that the country was returning to the brink of war.
This followed a tragic incident on March 7 when members of the White Army attacked a UN helicopter conducting an evacuation mission, resulting in the death of one UN crew member and serious injuries to two others.
Several diplomatic missions, including the US embassy, have reduced their presence to a minimum. The German government temporarily closed its embassy in the capital Juba, with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stating, “After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war.”
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has highlighted the role of the country’s political and military elites in perpetuating instability and extreme violence against civilians.
Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka noted that “sexual violence persists both in and outside conflicts, while senior officials continue to endorse extrajudicial killings, and the forced recruitment and abduction of boys and girls into combat or sexual slavery remain unchecked.”
Humanitarian Concerns
The political instability has exacerbated South Sudan’s already dire humanitarian situation. Richard Orengo, country director of the International Rescue Committee, warned that “South Sudan is on the brink of a humanitarian collapse,” a situation made worse by recent US cuts to foreign aid projects under the Trump administration.
Over 50,000 people have been displaced since February alone, adding to the massive displacement caused by years of conflict. The country’s poverty rate has risen to an estimated 92 percent, partly due to disruptions in oil production, which accounts for more than 90 percent of South Sudan’s national revenue.
The conflict in neighboring Sudan has further complicated the situation, affecting trade routes and increasing refugee flows.
Humanitarian organizations are struggling to maintain operations in this challenging environment, with many warning that vulnerable populations, particularly children suffering from malnutrition, are at severe risk.