THE United States is terminating South Sudan’s designation for temporary protected status, which for years allowed people from the east African country to remain in the US legally and escape armed conflict back home.

The termination will be effective from January 5, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

“After conferring with inter-agency partners, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that conditions in South Sudan no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements,” the statement said.

It added that South Sudanese nationals who use the Customs and Border Protection mobile app to report their departure could receive “a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 (£745) exit bonus and potential future opportunities for legal immigration.”

The new policy is a blow to people from South Sudan, a nation that remains politically unstable.

A peace deal to end fighting between rival forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and to his erstwhile deputy Riek Machar has been in force since 2018, but is unravelling after the arrest earlier this year of Mr Machar on criminal charges.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has withdrawn many protections that have allowed immigrants to remain in the US and work legally, including ending temporary status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and Haitians who were granted it under President Joe Biden.