JUBA - A Vietnamese man who was transferred to South Sudan by U.S. authorities last year left Juba on Friday bound for Vietnam, South Sudanese officials said. The departure follows coordination between South Sudanese and Vietnamese officials to return the man to his country of origin.
South Sudan's foreign ministry spokesperson Agok Anyar Madut spoke to journalists at Juba's international airport before the man boarded his flight. Madut said the repatriation exercise had been coordinated by the two governments involved. The man, identified as Tuan Thanh Phan, told reporters he was looking forward to reuniting with relatives after an extended separation.
Phan said he had spent 25 years in prison before being deported from the United States, though he did not provide additional details about his sentence or convictions. South Sudanese officials noted that Phan had been among a group of migrants with criminal convictions who were transferred by U.S. authorities last year to third countries under deportation arrangements that prompted international scrutiny.
Vietnam's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to South Sudanese officials. South Sudan had previously repatriated another foreign national - a Mexican citizen - who had also been sent to the East African country as part of the same set of transfers last year. Officials say that at least eight people have been deported to South Sudan from the U.S. under the scheme.
The repatriation of Phan reflects a bilateral effort to return a person sent to South Sudan under the earlier transfers. South Sudanese authorities organized the airport departure and coordinated with Vietnamese counterparts to effect the man's return to his home country. Phan's stated expectation of reunion with family followed his account of decades spent in prison prior to his expulsion from the United States.
Details reported by officials were limited. The information available noted coordination between governments, the man's prior incarceration, and the wider context that other nationals had also been transferred to South Sudan under the same program.
Key facts
- Tuan Thanh Phan left Juba for Vietnam after repatriation coordinated by South Sudan and Vietnam.
- Phan said he spent 25 years in prison before being deported from the United States.
- At least eight people have been sent from the U.S. to South Sudan under the transfer arrangements; South Sudan previously repatriated a Mexican national who was also sent under the program.