South Sudan grants entry to US deportee amid visa dispute

The government of South Sudan has now resolved to grant entry into the country, a man deported from the US and denied entry at Juba International Airport on April 5 and April 6, 2025.

According to reports, the saga sparked the revocation of all existing visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders by the US government over the weekend.

The decision to grant entry to Makula Kintu, believed to be a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) national, was communicated by South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in statetment dated April, 8, 2025.

"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," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Apuk Ayuel Mayen.

"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."

On Monday, April 7, 2025, South Sudan maintained that Kintu was not their citizen.

"Upon arrival, it was determined that the individual who presented a South Sudanese Travel Document under the name Nimeri Garang is NOT NIMERI GARANG (sic). Comprehensive verification processes confirmed that this individual is a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo, named Makula Kintu," said the statement.

It added that records available to both governments indicate that Kintu, born on April 2, 1977, is a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo, not South Sudan.

It remains unclear if diplomatic pressure from the US triggered the latest move.

On Saturday, April 5, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed the transitional government of the African nation for a lack of “full cooperation” and accused South Sudan of “taking advantage” of Washington.

In a more detailed account on X, also on Saturday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau alleged that South Sudan had refused to take back one person presumed to be from the African country because officials there had determined him to be Congolese after he arrived in Juba.

However, Africa's newest country insisted it would grant entry to verified South Sudanese deportees.

"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," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Apuk Ayuel Mayen.