US enforces visa restrictions on persons obstructing aid in South Sudan

The US Department of State is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on individuals responsible for, or complicit in, undermining and impeding a sustainable peace in South Sudan, spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Friday. These individuals, who include members of the South Sudanese government, participated in obstructing life-saving humanitarian aid through the taxation of aid shipments. These persons may be found ineligible for entry into the United States. The United States remains deeply concerned about the South Sudan transitional governmentÂ'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. Despite assurances, the government has yet to effectively reduce the unacceptably high costs, bureaucratic obstacles, and risks of providing h umanitarian assistance to South Sudanese people in need, Miller stated, adding 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 Source: Kuwait News Agency