The United States (US) has revoked all visas held by South Sudanese citizens, citing the refusal of Juba, the capital of the East African country, to accept deported nationals.

The sweeping action – announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday, 5 April – also halts the issuance of new visas and bars entry for South Sudanese passport holders.

Washington has accused the republic’s transitional government of failing to comply with international norms, insisting that every country must accept the return of its citizens when deported. The move comes amid rising concerns that the African nation is on the brink of renewed conflict.

South Sudan’s First Vice-President, Riek Machar, was recently placed under house arrest following clashes in the Upper Nile state between government forces and the White Army militia. The unrest threatens to unravel a fragile peace deal that ended a brutal five-year civil war.

The visa decision is part of President Donald Trump’s tough immigration stance, which includes sanctions for countries unwilling to repatriate citizens removed from the US. President Trump’s administration has said it is open to revisiting the decision if South Sudan cooperates.

Mediators from the African Union have arrived in Juba to try to defuse the escalating tensions, as fears grow of a return to widespread violence.

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