Pauline OdhiamboSouth Sudan’s first-ever Miss Universe delegate, Adut Deng, will not compete at the 75th Miss Universe Competition in Puerto Rico due to unresolved travel and visa restrictions.
On Sunday 8 November, the Miss Universe South Sudan Organization announced that despite months of coordinated efforts with officials in South Sudan, Kenya, France and the Miss Universe Organization, Deng’s documentation could not be secured in time.
In an Instagram post, Adut said ‘’this is undoubtedly a heartbreaking moment’’ but it is ‘’not the end’’ of her story.
The national organisation said the latest situation “extends beyond an ordinary visa application” and involves restrictions outside the organisation’s control.
It is not yet clear why she was not granted a visa. However, Puerto Rico, where the contest takes place, is a US-controlled territory in the Caribbean. Most travellers need a US visa to enter.
The latest development comes after the US administration of Donald Trump imposed a travel ban on several African countries, including South Sudan.
The pageant takes place from 11 to 24 November 2026.
Visa setbacks
This is not Adut’s first visa setback. In 2023, she withdrew from Miss Grand International in Vietnam due to what she described as a “visa issue caused by diplomatic complications between South Sudan and Vietnam.”
Born in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, 27-year-old Deng is an author and diplomat within South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She founded Health Action, which has enrolled over 200 underprivileged children back into school in her country. In 2024, she was crowned Miss International South Sudan and represented the country in Tokyo.
Adut said her dream to participate in the Miss Universe pageant “remains alive”, adding she aims to “proudly walk onto the Miss Universe stage, carrying the hopes, beauty, resilience, culture and identity of South Sudan.”
Her absence adds to a growing list of withdrawals, with at least 15 countries not participating amid visa difficulties and franchise disputes. Several are reportedly from Africa.
Adut encouraged young girls amid the setback, saying this is not the end for South Sudan and that its “time will come” because “sometimes, the closed door is simply a redirection.”
