The United States on Saturday said it was revoking all visas held by South Sudan nationals, citing the African country's refusal to accept the repatriation of its citizens.
"Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
"As South Sudan's transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle, effective immediately, the United States Department of State is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders."
Rubio accused the transitional government in Juba of "taking advantage" of the US. He added that Washington would be willing "to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation."
South Sudan, with a population of around 11 million, experienced a brutal civil war after it gained independence from its northern neighbour Sudan in 2011.
President Salva Kiir and his opponent Vice President Riek Machar formed a joint transitional government in 2020, which is now on the verge of collapse. The domestic political crisis has been escalating for several weeks.
