Ambassador Apuk Ayuel Mayen, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, addresses the media on Saturday, November 23, 2024 – Eye Radio/Lou Nelson

JUBA, (Eye Radio) – The South Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has clarified that a man recently deported from the United States and denied entry at Juba International Airport is not a South Sudanese citizen and had used fraudulent documents.

On April 5, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked all visas for South Sudanese citizens and halted the entry of new arrivals, citing the country’s failure to accept the return of deported nationals.

Rubio accused accusing Juba of failing to cooperate with the US and stated that every nation must accept the return of its citizens promptly when another country seeks to remove them.

But in a statement on Monday, South Sudan’s foreign ministry said the man, who presented himself under the name Nimeri Garang, turned out to be a Congolese national named Makula Kintu.

The incident happened on April 5 and 6, when the individual arrived in Juba using a South Sudanese travel document.

After verification, immigration officials discovered that he was not the rightful holder of the document.

Foreign Minister Spokesperson Amb. Apouk Ayuel said Mr. Kintu admitted during an interview at the airport that he comes from the Fir tribe in Northern Kivu Province in eastern DRC. He also claimed he was brought to South Sudan against his will.

Amb, Apouk further said the video evidence of the interview has been shared with the U.S. Embassy in Juba and the State Department in Washington.

She said Juba regrets the escalation of the matter, adding that it should not have led to the broad visa suspension. Apouk reaffirmed the government’s willingness to work with U.S. authorities to resolve it.

“The Government deeply regrets that despite this history of collaboration and partnership, South Sudan now faces a broad revocation of visas based on an isolated incident involving misrepresentation by an individual who is not a South Sudanese national,” she said.

South Sudan Juba contends that it has been cooperative and transparent in its dealings with the U.S. on immigration matters. It said added that an emergency travel documents have been issued for 21 out of 23 individuals the U.S. listed for deportation.

Only two people were found to be non-South Sudanese — Mr. Kintu from Congo and another individual from Sudan.

The statement also noted that the real Nimeri Garang, for whom the travel document was originally issued, is expected to arrive in Juba on May 13, 2025, aboard Egypt Air.