JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan has sent a list of requests to Washington after agreeing last year to accept deportees from the United States, including U.S. support for the prosecution of an opposition leader and relief from sanctions against a senior official accused of embezzling more than $1 billion in public funds.
The demands, contained in two diplomatic communications released this month by the U.S. State Department, offer a glimpse into the benefits some governments may seek when negotiating with the U.S. over taking in deportees.
In the document, the United States expresses “appreciation” for South Sudan for hosting the deportees and details the name, nationality and crime for which each person was convicted.
In July, South Sudan became the first African country to receive U.S. third-country deportees, with Rwanda, Swaziland, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea also accepting deportees.
The eight deported to South Sudan include nationals of Mexico, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan itself.
Controversial deportation
They arrived in South Sudan’s capital Juba after weeks at a U.S. military base in Djibouti, where they are being held after a U.S. court temporarily blocked their deportation. Six of the eight men remain at a residential facility in Juba, being guarded by security personnel.
South Sudanese national Dian Peter Domach was later released and Mexican Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez was deported in September, according to the foreign ministry.
South Sudanese officials have not said publicly what long-term plans are in place for those still detained. The third-country deportations have been highly controversial, criticized by human rights groups and others who fear South Sudan will become a dumping ground.
Details of the agreement between the United States and South Sudan remain unclear. It is unclear what, if anything, South Sudan actually received or was promised. The documents provide only a glimpse into what the South Sudanese government hopes to receive in return.
In other cases, Human Rights Watch said it had seen documents showing the United States agreed to pay the Rwandan government about $7.5 million to take in up to 250 deportees. The United States will provide $5.1 million to Swaziland to take in up to 160 deportees, the group said.
Regarding South Sudan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Sudan raised eight “concerns that the Government of South Sudan considers worthy of consideration” in a confidential letter on May 12. The measures include easing visa restrictions for South Sudanese nationals, building rehabilitation centers and “supporting efforts to address armed civilians.”
Request for lifting of sanctions
But one high-profile demand was the lifting of U.S. sanctions against former Vice President Benjamin Bol Meir and Washington’s support for the prosecution of opposition leader Riek Machar. Machar, South Sudan’s now-suspended first vice president, faces treason, murder and other criminal charges in a controversial case.
The charges against Machar stem from a violent incident in March, when armed militias with whom he has historical ties attacked a government military compound. Machar’s supporters and some activists say the charges are politically motivated.
According to a United Nations report, Bol Meir is accused of diverting more than $1 billion for infrastructure projects to companies he owned or controlled. He held huge influence in the government and was touted by some as a possible successor to Kiir’s presidency until he was fired in November and placed under house arrest.
Bol Meir is also considered a key figure in the prosecution of Machar, one of South Sudan’s historic leaders who ultimately succeeded in gaining independence from Sudan in 2011.
In 2013, Machar had a dispute with Kiir, when Machar was Kiir’s deputy, and government forces loyal to Kiir fought with troops loyal to Machar, triggering a civil war.
The 2018 peace deal returned Machar to the government as the most senior of the five vice presidents. His prosecution was widely criticized as a violation of the agreement and coincided with a surge in violence that the United Nations said killed more than 1,800 people between January and September 2025.
The United Nations also warned that a resurgence of fighting had brought the country “back to the brink of civil war.” Machar is under house arrest in Juba and his criminal trial is progressing slowly.
In its communication with the United States, South Sudan also requested the lifting of sanctions on South Sudan’s oil companies “to encourage foreign direct investment” and asked the United States to consider investing in other areas such as fossil fuels, mining and agriculture.
Asked whether the U.S. government offered or promised anything to South Sudan in exchange for accepting deportees, a State Department official said, “In accordance with standard diplomatic practice, we do not disclose details of private discussions.”
South Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesman Thomas Kenneth Elisapana declined to comment.
US cuts aid
Despite accepting U.S. demands to take in deportees, relations between the two governments have remained tense in recent months.
In December, the United States threatened to cut aid to the country, accusing the government of charging aid organizations and hindering their operations.
The United States has historically been one of South Sudan’s largest donors, providing approximately $9.5 billion in aid since 2011. For years, South Sudan’s government has struggled to provide many of the country’s basic services, and years of conflict have left the country heavily reliant on foreign aid.