The US has revoked visas for South Sudanese. Is Sudan’s conflict merging with South Sudan's conflict?

THE US has abruptly revoked the visas of all South Sudanese, saying the country’s government has failed to accept the return of its citizens “in a timely manner.” The decision means South Sudanese could be returned to a nation again on the brink of civil war or unable to seek the US as a haven. 

Tension is rising in South Sudan after the vice president was put under house arrest. South Sudan is on the brink of another civil war, the United Nations has warned, after weeks of escalating violence and rising tensions between VP Machar and President Kiir. In short, Sudan's conflict could be merging with South Sudan's conflicts. Read more in four reports below.

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From The Associated Press (AP) 
By Cara Anna
Dated Sunday, 06 April 2025, 5:35 PM GMT - full copy:

The US has revoked visas for South Sudanese while civil war threatens at home

South Sudan soldiers patrol the street in Juba, South Sudan on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga) 

FILE - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir attends the swearing-in ceremony for Kenya's new president William Ruto, at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Kenya on Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)

FILE - South Sudanese president Salva Kiir Mayardit, left, shakes hands with Pagan Amum Okiech, leader of the Real-SPLM group, during the launch of high-level peace talks for South Sudan at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga) 

The United States once cheered the creation of South Sudan as an independent nation. Now the Trump administration has abruptly revoked the visas of all South Sudanese, saying the country’s government has failed to accept the return of its citizens “in a timely manner.”

The decision means South Sudanese could be returned to a nation again on the brink of civil war or unable to seek the U.S. as a haven.

There was no immediate response from South Sudan’s government, which has struggled since independence from Sudan in 2011 to deliver some of the basic services of a state. Years of conflict have left the country of over 11 million people heavily reliant on aid that has been hit hard by another Trump administration decision — sweeping cuts in foreign assistance.

Here’s a look at South Sudan, whose people had been granted temporary protected status by the U.S. because of insecurity at home. That status expires on May 3.

A deadly divide

The euphoria of independence turned to civil war two years later, when rival factions backing President Salva Kiir and deputy Riek Machar opened fire on each other in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, in 2013.

The two men’s tensions have been so much at the heart of the country’s insecurity that Pope Francis once took the extraordinary step of kneeling to kiss their feet in one of his pleas for lasting peace.

Five years of civil war killed hundreds of thousands of people. A peace deal reached in 2018 has been fragile and not fully implemented, to the frustration of the U.S. and other international backers. Notably, South Sudan still hasn’t held a long-delayed presidential election, and Kiir remains in power.

His rivalry with Machar, compounded by ethnic divisions, has simmered through multiple attempts to return Machar as a vice president. Machar has long regarded himself as destined for the presidency, citing a prophecy years ago by a seer from his ethnic group.

Late last month, the threat of war returned. Machar was arrested and his allies in the government and the military were detained following a major escalation: A militia from Machar’s ethnic group had seized an army garrison upcountry. The government responded with airstrikes. Dozens of people were killed. A United Nations helicopter was attacked.

View original: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-revoked-visas-south-sudanese-163537095.html

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Related

South Sudan on brink of civil war, UN's Haysom warns

UN News by Vibhu Mishra 24 March 2025:

“The time for action is now because the alternative is too terrible to contemplate” -Nicholas Haysom, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2025/03/south-sudan-on-brink-of-civil-war-uns.html

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Is South Sudan heading to another civil war?

AlJazeera English video report (28 mins) 28 March 2025:

Tension is rising in South Sudan after the vice president is put under house arrest.

South Sudan is on the brink of another civil war, the United Nations has warned, after weeks of escalating violence and rising tensions between Vice President Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir.

https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2025/3/28/is-south-sudan-heading-to-another-civil-war

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Is Sudan’s war merging with South Sudanese conflicts?

AlJazeera English article by Mat Nashed 29 March 2025:

New alliances in Sudan’s conflict risk sparking a regional conflict by drawing in neighbouring South Sudan, analysts tell Al Jazeera. The biggest development was an alliance in February between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who established a government to rival Sudan’s current de facto leadership.

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/29/sudans-war-risks-merging-with-conflict-in-south-sudan-say-analysts

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Sudan conflict spilling into oil-rich Abyei. South Sudan postpones its December 2024 election by two years

THE WORLD must not forget what is happening in South Sudan and Abyei, an oil-rich area on the border of South Sudan and Sudan. South Sudan postponed its first elections scheduled for December. Read more below.

Report from defenceWeb
Dated 07 November 2024 - full copy:

 Sudan conflict spilling into Abyei

UNISFA peacekeepers on humanitarian duty. Picture: United Nations.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) this week heard ongoing conflict in Sudan is “exacerbating instability” in Abyei, a 10 000 plus square kilometre contested area between Sudan and the world’s youngest country, South Sudan.

According to the world body, which has a peacekeeping mission on the ground in the oil-rich area, Abyei is claimed by both sides – RSF (Rapid Support Forces) and the Sudan Armed Force (SAF). The UN mission – UNISFA (UN Interim Security Force for Abyei) was first deployed in June 2011 and currently has 4 190 uniformed members and 3 743 civilians on its personnel strength.

Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa at the UN Department of Peace Operations, told ambassadors on the Security Council the Sudan war continues to have a profound impact on the security, economic and humanitarian situations in South Sudan and Sudan.

Since the power struggle between rival militaries in Sudan began last April, Abyei and its neighbours have grappled with disruptions in oil production and surging refugee arrivals. These setbacks left already stretched resources in South Sudan under greater strain, with thousands of refugees enduring shortages of clean water, food and healthcare services.

Pobee highlighted continued proliferation of arms and heightened tensions, as observed with the recent incursion of RSF combatants into Abyei’s Aman-Aquak and Mijak counties, with reports of looting.

“The movement of armed groups is compounding the fragile security situation in South Sudan and Abyei,  particularly in relation to the pre-existing tensions between the Twic Mayardit and Ngok Dinka communities across Warrap state and Abyei,” she said.

Also this week, the African Union (AU) by way of its special envoy on the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities, added its condemnation of the ongoing Sudan conflict.

A statement has Adama Dieng saying reports of “grave crimes” including mass killing, summary executions, sexual assault, abduction, torture and looting have emerged despite a telecommunication black-out. As special envoy he urges the leaders of the two main fighting forces General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Dagalo “Hemedti” to de-escalate the fighting and, among others, refrain from targeting civilians.

View original: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/african-news/sudan-conflict-spilling-into-abyei/

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Related reports

From Al Jazeera 

Dated 14 September 2024 - excerpt:

South Sudan postpones December election by two years

Government says it needs more time to complete a census, draft a permanent constitution and register political parties.

President Salva Kiir, who has led South Sudan since it became independent from Sudan in 2011, had promised to hold elections in 2024 

[File: Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo]

South Sudan’s government has announced it is postponing long-delayed general elections until December 2026, citing a lack of preparedness. This is the second time the country, which gained independence in 2011, is postponing elections and extending a transitional period that started in February 2020. 

Full story: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/14/south-sudan-postpones-december-election-by-two-years

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From What's In Blue 

Dated 06 November 2024 - excerpt:

South Sudan: Briefing and Consultations

An expected focus of tomorrow’s [07 November] meeting is the 13 September decision by the signatories to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to extend the transitional period by 24 months. The decision postponed again the country’s first post-independence elections, which were scheduled for December 2024, until December 2026, and extended the transitional period until February 2027. The original transitional period outlined in the R-ARCSS was set to end in February 2023; it had been extended until February 2025 through a roadmap adopted in August 2022. (For background and more information, see the brief on South Sudan in our November 2024 Monthly Forecast.)

Full story: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2024/11/south-sudan-briefing-and-consultations-26.php

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From The Conversation 

By Steven C. Roach

Dated 08 November 2024 - excerpt:

Salva Kiir: South Sudan’s president fought for independence, but then fuelled division, violence and corruption

Salva Kiir Mayardit has served as South Sudan’s president since the country’s independence in 2011. South Sudan’s secession from Sudan came on the heels of a long and bloody civil war that resulted in a referendum on independence. The initial optimism about the new state faded within two years when Kiir fell out with his vice-president, Riek Machar. The resulting civil war displaced some four million people and killed an estimated 388,000 people. With the two warring sides unable to reach agreement, the government postponed elections indefinitely in 2015 amid continuing civil strife.

Full story: https://theconversation.com/salva-kiir-south-sudans-president-fought-for-independence-but-then-fuelled-division-violence-and-corruption-242747

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From The East African 

By Garang Malak

Dated 08 November 2024 - excerpt:

South Sudan holdouts agree to resume peace talks in Nairobi

President Ruto says parties to the South Sudan peace process have agreed to resume mediation

Kenya's President William Ruto makes remarks, during the swearing-in ceremony of his new Deputy President, Kithure Kindiki, at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on November 1, 2024. Kindiki is an academic turned politician who was thrust into the limelight when he defended his boss President William Ruto at the International Criminal Court. The 52-year-old millionaire served as interior minister for more than two years before taking over as deputy president on November 1, 2024 following the historic impeachment of his predecessor, Rigathi Gachagua. (Photo by SIMON MAINA/Agence France-Presse (AFP)/AFP

South Sudan’s holdout groups, the non-signatories to the 2018 peace agreement, have agreed to resume peace talks in Nairobi after months of expressing security concerns and dissatisfaction with the process. This development follows Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Juba on Wednesday, where he held talks with President Salva Kiir, First Vice President Riek Machar and other key stakeholders in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU).

Full story: https://www.zawya.com/en/economy/africa/south-sudan-holdouts-agree-to-resume-peace-talks-in-nairobi-a3ontus8

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South Sudan: Thousands displaced by fighting in Abyei, 100 people killed including UN peacekeepers

Cartoon credit: Cartoonist Adija @AdijaAcuil 

Caption: "Abyei and the Stakeholders 

#SSOX #UN #UNSC #AU #IGAD #UNISFA"

Source: https://twitter.com/AdijaAcuil/status/1727616044544512400 

Nov 23, 2023

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"The UN says more than 2,200 people, most of them women and children, are sheltering at one of its compounds in Rumajak, about 7km (4 miles) north of Abyei town. The humanitarian body also says it is beefing up land and air patrols to deter further violence". Read more.

From BBC News

By Anne Soy, BBC News, Nairobi

Dated Friday, 9 February 2024 - here is a copy in full:

Thousands forced out by fighting in disputed Abyei region

Humanitarian agencies have warned that two weeks of fighting in the oil-rich region of Abyei on the border between Sudan and South Sudan have led to widespread displacement and hindered efforts to distribute aid.

Both countries jointly administer Abyei and claim ownership of the region.

The clashes have been linked to conflict between rival factions of the Dinka ethnic group - called the Ngok and the Twic.

Close to 100 people including UN peacekeepers have been killed.

Britain, the US and Norway - known as the Troika - have called on the South Sudanese government to hold accountable those behind the attacks.

Save the Children also says there have been incidents of looting of health and nutrition supplies at one of its health facilities.

The UN says more than 2,200 people, most of them women and children, are sheltering at one of its compounds in Rumajak, about 7km (4 miles) north of Abyei town. The humanitarian body also says it is beefing up land and air patrols to deter further violence.

Click here to view original. 

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Cartoon credit: Cartoonist Adija @AdijaAcuil 

Caption “No comment. #SSOT”. 

Source: https://twitter.com/AdijaAcuil/status/1665807379034767367 

Jun 5, 2023

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Sudan: Malik Agar visits Russia to discuss Sudan crisis

NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: Further to the previous post at Sudan Watch (Mon 03 Jul 2023 - 'Sudan: Thousands of Sudanese citizens flee to Ethiopia as security deteriorates in Blue Nile') here is a thread of 7 tweets posted in Arabic Thu 29 Jun 2023 at the Twitter account of Malik Agar @MalikAgar1 “the official account of the President of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Vice President the Sudanese Sovereignty Council”.

This copy has been translated from Arabic using Google translate.

1/7

Today morning, June 29, I visited the Federal Republic of Russia, accompanied by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others. During the visit, I and my accompanying delegation, which also included the Sudanese Ambassador to Russia, held a session of talks in the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Mr. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister.

11:10 PM · Jun 29, 2023 24.5K Views

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2/7

In addition to the Russian President's envoy to Africa and the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and a number of officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry, we discussed during the session developments in Sudan, where I provided a detailed explanation of the events in Sudan since the outbreak of the Rapid Support Forces rebellion on April 15.

11:11 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,954 Views

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And its developments in field and humanitarian aspects, and its repercussions on Sudan and neighboring countries. During the session, the regional and international initiatives and efforts made to find solutions to the crisis and the position of the Government of Sudan on it were touched upon. We clarified Sudan's position on the UN mission and its head, and Sudan's adherence to its sovereign rights.

11:12 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,192 Views

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4/7

And his duty is to defend its territorial integrity, security and stability, and the Russian side has understood Sudan's position towards the United Nations and its decision regarding the head of the UNTAMS mission.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, expressed the solidarity of the Government of the Russian Federation with the government and people of Sudan and its existing legitimate institutions.

11:14 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,436 Views

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Stressing his follow-up to the developments of the situation in Sudan since its inception, he added that the crisis in Sudan is an internal matter and its solution is in the hands of the Sudanese themselves. Lavrov indicated the Russian government's readiness to support the Sudanese people whenever they are asked to do so.

11:15 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,366 Views

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We also agreed with the Russian side to continue and strengthen bilateral relations in all fields and to activate this through the agreed upon bilateral mechanisms. We also renewed our commitment to coordination in international and regional forums. We also touched on developments in the Sudanese neighborhood and the regional situation.

11:17 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,963 Views

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7/7

They stressed the importance of coordination and consultation between the two countries. During the talks, the Russian side expressed its aspiration for the President of the Sovereignty Council to participate in the Russian-African Summit, which will be held at the end of next July in St. Petersburg, Russia.

11:18 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,797 Views

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View original*: https://twitter.com/MalikAgar1/status/1674540887651635200

*Only viewable to those with a registered account at Twitter.com

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