The United States once cheered the creation of South Sudan as an independent nation. Now the Trump administration has abruptly revoked the visas of all South Sudanese.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday the United States is revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, accusing the country's transitional government of refusing to accept its repatriated citizens deported by the Trump administration.

The U.S. said on Saturday it would revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders over South Sudan's failure to accept the return of its repatriated citizens, at a time when many in Africa fear that country could return to civil war.