April 7, 2025

US revokes visas for all South Sudanese including refugees

US revokes visas for all South Sudanese including refugees and impose restrictions on the issuance of any new ones.

US revokes visas for all South Sudanese including refugees and impose restrictions on the issuance of any new ones.

US revokes visas for all South Sudanese including refugees and impose restrictions on the issuance of any new ones.

On Sunday morning, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping measure that could have serious implications for Kenya’s refugee management. 

Rubio revealed that the US would revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and impose restrictions on the issuance of any new visas to South Sudanese nationals.

According to Rubio, his government has decided so due to the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens on time.

”I am taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and to restrict any further issuance to prevent entry into the United States, effective immediately, due to the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens on time,” Rubio stated.

​As of January 2025, Kenya had approximately 151,087 South Sudanese refugees. The majority of these refugees reside in the Kakuma and Dadaab camps, with Kakuma alone accommodating around 148,000 South Sudanese refugees, according to official data. 

Additionally, Kenya continues to receive an average of 20 South Sudanese refugees daily, further increasing the refugee population.

On April 2, Mudavadi acknowledged that the situation in South Sudan had seen Kenya experience an influx in the number of refugees from the world’s youngest nation. 

”The situation in South Sudan is getting worse. We are beginning to see another inflow of refugees in Kenya at the rate of about 20 refugees per day,” Mudavadi revealed.

We did not join Ruto to betray Kenyans; Raila

Renowned Human Rights Lawyer Senior counsel Pheroze Nowrojee is dead

Governor Sakaja unlikely to be re-elected in 2027; Atwoli

Mt Kenya loves Ruto, those numbers can’t be staged or rented; ODM MP Kaluma

Social media must be regulated in Kenya; Francis Atwoli

Sarah Wairimu denied bond over Cohen murder amid allegations of intimidating police officer

Kenya’s strategic location and its well-connected international airport in Nairobi make it a common layover point for flights from South Sudan to the US; therefore, the revocation of visas held by South Sudanese passport holders may impact the revenue system between the two nations. 

South Sudan currently operates under a transitional government that is seeking to avoid an all-out civil war in the Central African nation. It was not clear how many South Sudanese citizens in the US Rubio’s announcement affected.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of May 31, 2024, the refugee and asylum-seeker population in Kenya stood at 774,370 persons, which comprised 561,060 (72 per cent) refugees and 213,310 (28 per cent) asylum-seekers.

Meanwhile, Kenya is currently involved in the peace process in the youngest nation, after President William Ruto appointed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as Kenya’s special envoy to South Sudan following the detention of the country’s first Vice President, Riek Machar. 

Odinga joined a team of specialised police officers sent by the National Police Service (NPS) as peace envoys to the war-torn nation.

Nani aliwafunza kupiga kelele! Ruto blasts hecklers in Githunguri

MP threatens to table a motion to dissolve TSC

Ready to go home in 2027 if I fail Kenyans; Ruto

I will win again – Ruto dismisses 2027 election threats from opponents

How government plans to use Sh7 per litre of fuel levy to settle Sh175bn in unpaid contractor dues

Safaricom announces scheduled M-Pesa system maintenance

MP Wamuchomba summoned by DCI hours after ‘Ruto Must Go’ video

Follow us

FaceBook

Telegram

error: Content is protected !!