South Sudan to allow entry of U.S. deportee amid visa row

JUBA – South Sudan’s government said on Tuesday it would allow entry to a person deported from the United States, reversing an earlier decision that triggered a U.S. move to revoke visas for all South Sudanese passport holders.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Apuk Ayuel said in a pre-recorded statement in Juba that the government had decided to permit the individual, identified by the U.S. as Nimeri Garang and by South Sudan as Congolese citizen Makula Kintu, to enter the country “In the spirit of the existing friendly relations” with the United States.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of South Sudan wishes to formally communicate the recent decision by the government regarding an individual deported from the United States who was denied entry at Juba International Airport on April 5th and April 6th of 2025,” Ayuel said.

“In the spirit of the existing friendly relations between South Sudan and the United States, the government of the Republic of South Sudan has decided to grant Mr. Makula Kintu permission to enter the country. In light of this decision, the government has instructed the relevant authorities at Juba International Airport to facilitate Mr. Kintu’s arrival as early as tomorrow,” she added.

The statement also emphasized that “The government of the Republic of South Sudan remains committed to facilitating the return of verified South Sudanese nationals who are scheduled for deportation from the United States.”

The reversal comes days after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Saturday that the U.S. was immediately revoking visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders.

Rubio cited “the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner” as the reason for the action, adding that the U.S. would also block arriving South Sudanese citizens at U.S. ports of entry.

The individual at the center of the dispute arrived with a South Sudan travel document issued by the country’s embassy in Washington.

While the South Sudanese government maintains that the person is a Congolese citizen, it has not clarified how the individual obtained South Sudanese documents.