New US advisory warns traveling to this country a serious threat'

With the four-tier State Department travel advisory system starting at "exercise normal precautions" and ending at "do not travel", the highest warning level is usually assigned to active war zones or countries with which the United States lacks official diplomatic relations.

As of November 2025, the State Department has 22 countries under the highest advisory level. These include Ukraine, Belarus and Russia over the war that the latter country began by invading Ukraine in 2022 and North Korea, Iran and Venezuela due to their official status as U.S. adversaries.

The list also includes South Sudan, a country in northeastern Africa with a long history of war. On Nov. 13, the State Department reiterated its travel advisory for the latter country to focus on the situations around health and civil unrest.

Travel advisory for South Sudan is one of the strictest in the world

The instructions for U.S. government representatives working in the country are some of the strictest in the world with an official curfew prohibiting being outside at night and any transportation needing to be done in armored military vehicles.

"Armed conflict is ongoing and includes fighting between various political and ethnic groups," the updated travel advisory reads. "Weapons are readily available to the population. In addition, cattle raids occur throughout the country, often leading to violence."

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The territory of South Sudan has long been marked by a history of war and political violence. The civil war that broke out in 2013 two years after the country gained independence and broke off from Sudan through a referendum lasted for seven years until 2020 and resulted in over 400,000 deaths.

"Criminal groups have kidnapped and threatened to kill or hurt people in order to force a third party, like a government, to act or abstain from doing something as a condition of release," the travel warning reads further.

A history of war and why South Sudan is marked as "do not travel"

As a result, Americans are advised not to travel to South Sudan for any reason and not rely on any diplomatic assistance from the U.S. if they do find themselves in the landlocked country neighboring Sudan to the north, Kenya and Uganda to the north, Ethiopia to the east and the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo to the west.

The constant presence of fighting and low level of human development make tourism to the country incredibly rare; most Westerners who make it to South Sudan come as part of medical or humanitarian missions.

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The same State Department advisory is in place for the Central African Republic over similar problems of ever-present war and clashes for power while countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia all have the equivalent travel advisories in place about South Sudan for their own citizens.

"Establish a proof of life protocol with your loved ones," reads the extraordinarily alarmist-sounding section on what those who do choose to travel to South Sudan should do. "If you are taken hostage, your loved ones will know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to confirm you are being held captive and alive."

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