US imposes visa restrictions on South Sudanese officials for taxing aid shipments 

FILE - Internally displaced women wait for food rations to be distributed by the World Food Program in Bentiu, South Sudan, Feb. 6, 2023. Persistent conflict, natural disasters, and widespread poverty have left millions of South Sudanese in urgent need of assistance.

The U.S. State Department announced Friday that it is imposing visa restrictions on South Sudanese officials and others who have obstructed humanitarian aid by taxing shipments. South Sudan, which suffered a crushing civil war from 2013 to 2018, is now facing one of the world’s most dire humanitarian crises. Persistent conflict, natural disasters, and widespread poverty have left millions in urgent need of assistance. The United Nations reported delays in the arrival of U.N. fuel tankers because of a tax dispute with South Sudanese authorities, jeopardizing the delivery of crucial aid worth millions of dollars. The United States has expressed strong concerns about the South Sudan transitional government’s lack of progress in meeting its commitments under a 2018 peace agreement. The agreement requires creating conditions that support effective humanitarian aid and protect those in need. "Despite assurances, the government has not effectively reduced the high costs, bureaucratic barriers, and risks associated with providing humanitarian assistance," said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. "This raises doubts about the government’s commitment and ability to meet its 2018 peace agreement obligations and create an environment that supports aid delivery and protection.”Sudan peace talks Recent developments show some progress in resolving Sudan’s conflict, though, which would help ensure that South Sudan gets the aid it needs, despite the transitional government’s shortcomings under the peace deal. The first round of the U.S.-mediated peace talks in Geneva regarding Sudan, which concluded last week, resulted in breakthroughs that improved access to humanitarian aid.