East Africa

South Sudan

Capital: Juba
Head of state: Salva Kiir Mayardit
U.S. ambassador: Michael J. Adler

Leaders · U.S. mission · Reported with

Leaders

Head of stateSalva Kiir MayarditPresident of South SudanSince July 9, 2011 · 15 years, 3 months

U.S. mission

U.S. ambassadorMichael J. AdlerU.S. Ambassador to South Sudan

Official U.S. mission website

South Sudan in Washington

Ambassador to the U.S.Santino Fardol Watoo DickenAmbassador of South Sudan to the United StatesSince September 18, 2024 · 2 years

Reporting on South Sudan

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An Ebola emergency response team — A Doctors Without Borders Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, August 2026. (File photo)Sophie Müller / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

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Health

U.S. Extends Ebola Travel Restrictions on Uganda, Congo and South Sudan for 30 Days; Africa CDC Calls It a “Double Standard”

The CDC says overland travel from Congo, where the Bundibugyo outbreak “continues to spread,” keeps Uganda on the list even though Kampala declared its own outbreak over in July. Kenya, which recorded its first case and death this month, is not included.

Oct 13

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U.S.–Africa

“The Point Is to Scare People”: Human Rights Watch Says U.S. Has Sent More Than 500 People to African Countries That Are Not Their Own

A 125-page report documents third-country deportations to Eswatini, South Sudan, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and other states, with deportees shackled for up to 18 hours, detained without clear legal basis and in some cases sent on toward the persecution U.S. courts had shielded them from. The Supreme Court hears the policy in December.

Oct 12

Often reported with

Sudan (2)Kenya (1)Uganda (1)Cameroon (1)Equatorial Guinea (1)Eswatini (1)Ghana (1)Guinea (1)

Also in East Africa

Comoros Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Madagascar Mauritius Rwanda Seychelles Somalia Sudan Tanzania Uganda

Leaders: UN Protocol list of heads of state and government (19 Sept. 2026), updated for later official appointments. U.S. diplomats: each U.S. embassy’s official website. Photos: licensed (public domain or Creative Commons) with credit.