US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said that the United States has decided to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, as he accused the African nation's government of "taking advantage of the United States". In a statement, Rubio said, "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 USA's top diplomat added that South Sudan's transitional government "has failed to fully respect this principle".
"Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States," Rubio's statement reads.
Along with revoking visas, Rubio said that the US would also "prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders".
Notably, the political landscape in Sudan remains fragile, with the recent violence between government troops and armed opposition groups further escalating the tensions.
Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged regional and international leaders to prevent South Sudan from falling “over the abyss” into another civil war.
Guterres warned that the world's newest and one of its poorest countries is facing “a security emergency” with intensifying clashes and a “political upheaval” culminating with last week's arrest by the government of First Vice President Riek Machar.