By Yiep Joseph
South Sudan government has announced plans to dispatch a high-level delegation to the United States of America (USA) to resolve the complete repatriation of its citizens who were removed from the US.
Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the revocation of visas for all South Sudanese passport holders. This action followed the transitional government’s initial refusal to receive citizens expelled from the U.S.
In response, South Sudan subsequently facilitated the repatriation of some citizens and pledged to handle the repatriation disputes with the US diplomatically.
Despite these efforts, it is reported that over a hundred South Sudanese individuals remain on the US deportation list, a situation believed to be maintaining the visa review for South Sudanese citizens.
In a recent development, the office of the Vice President for the Economic Cluster, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, revealed the government’s plan to send a high-level delegation to the US to resolve the repatriation dispute.
According to a statement from the Vice President’s office, “A high-level delegation, headed by Finance Minister Marial Dongrin Ater, Central Bank Governor Johnny Ohisa Damian, and Civil Registry Director Elia Kosta Faustino, will collaborate closely with the US Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure an ‘orderly, legal, and dignified’ repatriation process.”
The statement also indicated that the government will dispatch this high-level delegation to Washington, D.C., in the coming days to engage directly with officials from the United States Government on the urgent matter of repatriating approximately 137 South Sudanese nationals currently subject to deportation orders from the United States.
In a letter, Vice President Bol’s office emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating the government’s continued commitment to addressing the repatriation misunderstandings with the US.
“The Government of the Republic of South Sudan takes full responsibility for addressing this matter with the seriousness and urgency it deserves,” the statement partly read.
This development followed an incident where Makula Kintu, an alleged Congolese deportee who identified himself as Nemeri Garang, was initially denied entry at Juba International Airport after being deported from the US.
This incident triggered a visa row between Washington and Juba. South Sudan later allowed Kintu to enter the country due to the “existing friendly relations” between both nations.
The statement described the incident as “regrettable and isolated,” adding that “internal measures have since been taken to prevent recurrence of such regrettable incidents.”
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused to the United States of America and reiterate our desire to resolve this issue swiftly and in a spirit of cooperation,” it further stated.
The Vice President reiterated South Sudan’s commitment to maintaining strong ties with the world and the United States (US).
“President Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit remains committed to maintaining warm, constructive, and positive engagement with the United States across all areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment, regional security, oil production, and strategic cooperation on critical minerals,” he said.
“South Sudan is proud to stand with the United States as a partner in securing access to strategic resources vital to both South Sudan and the U.S. economies and national security,” Bol added.
On April 6th, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the United States was revoking visas for South Sudanese passport holders because the country’s transitional government had refused to receive citizens expelled from the U.S.
However, the following day, South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Apuk Ayuel Mayen clarified that upon arrival, the individual presenting a South Sudanese travel document under the name Nimeri Garang was identified as a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) whose real name is Makula Kintu, and that he was returned to the sending country (U.S.).
South Sudan, however, under pressure, reversed its decision not to allow Kintu’s entry, and he landed again in Juba on April 9th, after the U.S. had revoked visas for South Sudanese passport holders.