South Sudanese Students Face Uncertain Future

A recent policy change by the U. S. government has put South Sudanese students, including a star basketball player, in a tough spot. The U. S. government has decided to cancel all visas for South Sudanese citizens. This decision came after the South Sudanese government failed to take back its citizens who were deported from the U. S. in a timely manner. This policy change has created a lot of uncertainty for South Sudanese students in the U. S. One of the students affected is Khaman Maluach, a freshman basketball player at Duke University. Maluach has been making waves in the basketball world. He played a key role in helping his team reach the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. Many basketball fans were shocked by the news. They had been looking forward to seeing Maluach in the NBA draft in June. Maluach's journey to Duke has been amazing. He never thought he would play for such a prestigious team. He also represented South Sudan in the Olympics last year. The news about the visa policy change came just hours after Maluach's team lost in the Final Four. This loss was a big disappointment for the team and their fans. Now, Maluach and other South Sudanese students at Duke are facing an even bigger challenge. They are unsure about their future in the U. S. Duke University is aware of the situation. They are working to understand how this policy change will affect their students. The U. S. government issued 46 nonimmigrant visas to South Sudanese nationals in January. This number is much lower than the number of visas issued to other East African countries. The new policy also includes a pause on issuing new visas to South Sudanese citizens. This policy will stay in place until South Sudan cooperates fully with the U. S. government. The situation in South Sudan is tense. There are growing tensions between the government and opposition groups. A power-sharing agreement ended a five-year civil war in 2018. However, violent clashes have started again. This makes the future of South Sudan and its citizens even more uncertain. It is a critical time for South Sudan. The country needs to focus on stability and cooperation, both internally and with other nations.