South Sudan allows entry of US deportee amid visa row

South Sudan has agreed to allow entry to a US deportee identified as a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

“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 spokesperson Apuk Ayu el Mayen.

She said authorities at Juba International Airport were instructed to facilitate Kintu’s arrival by Wednesday.

Mayen reaffirmed South Sudan’s commitment to assisting with the repatriation of verified South Sudanese nationals facing deportation from the United States.

Returned to US

The ministry said Monday that the individual, who arrived under the name Nimeri Garang and was denied entry over the weekend, was in fact a Congolese national named Makula Kintu. He was returned to the United States for further processing.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Washington would cancel all visas for South Sudanese passport holders and block new arrivals, accusing Juba’s transitional government of refusing to accept nationals ordered to leave the United States.