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South Sudan, which has been grappling with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises due to persistent conflict, natural disasters, and poverty, has seen hundreds of thousands of people die as a result of the civil war from 2013-2018.
United Nations missions in the country have reported that South Sudanese authorities are holding up U.N. fuel tankers over a tax dispute, jeopardizing the delivery of millions of dollars of aid during a humanitarian crisis.
In a statement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed the U.S. government’s deep concern over the South Sudan transitional government’s failure to act with urgency to establish a clear and consistent system for full implementation of its obligations under the 2018 peace agreement.
“The United States remains deeply concerned about the South Sudan transitional government’s failure to act with urgency to establish a clear and consistent system for full implementation of its obligations under the 2018 peace agreement, in particular, its obligation to create an enabling political, administrative, operational, and legal environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection,” the statement said.
“Despite assurances, the government has yet to effectively reduce the unacceptably high costs, bureaucratic obstacles, and risks of providing humanitarian assistance to South Sudanese people in need. This raises questions about its willingness and capacity to abide by its 2018 peace agreement commitment to create an enabling environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection,” it added.
The visa restrictions, imposed under a policy announced in 2019, will make those cited ineligible for entry into the United States.
