South Sudan not against foreign nationals says Minister
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July 6, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan has said that recent orders asking
foreigners in the country to regularise their status should not be
interpreted to mean that the country is against foreigners.
JPEG - 26.9 kb
People walk through a market in the South Sudanese city of Juba
January 6, 2011 in Juba, (File photo/Getty)
The country’s Interior Minister, Alison Manani Magaya, said in an
interview with the Sudan Tribune on Saturday that the move to require
foreigners to legalise their stay is normal and is aimed at combating
what he calls rising crime in the country.
“The policy of the government is that those who come must possess
legal documents, register with the ministry of interior through
immigration authorities upon arrival, and show respect to our people
and laws as well as our way of living,’ said Alison Manani Magaya.
The minister’s remark follows complaints from foreign nations in South
Sudan that they are being targeted. Most of the foreigners operating
in Juba and other parts of South Sudan are from the East African
region. Magaya however dismissed the claim that they are being
targeted.
“It is not true that we are targeting foreigners. The foreign
nationals in this country are even more comfortable than in their own
countries. You can see them freely interacting and working with our
people in market places, in hotels, in residential areas, in public
offices and private institutions.’’
The minister cited thriving business, the free movement of citizens
from neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia,
and Congo as testimony that South Sudan welcomes foreign nationals.
South Sudan attained independence in 2011 after two decades of
conflict between the South and North of Sudan. The resultant peace
provided business opportunities for nationals from neighbouring
countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Congo.
Minister Magaya however says some of the foreign nationals do not have
proper documentations.
“Now you find there are Ugandan and Kenyans everywhere in Juba and in
the States. There are Ethiopians and Eritreans. There are Somalis and
people from other countries who have been living here. Some of them do
not have proper documents. These are the people we want to
regularise.’’
Magaya said it was the duty of his ministry together with relevant
institutions and citizens to ensure that proper controls are put in
place so that law and order are maintained in the country.
Landlords and hotels are now required to check in a non
-discriminatory manner the immigration status of their tenants. The
Inspector General of police, Pieng Deng Kuol, said the requirement for
foreigners to be rented a house would be valid documents like a
passport, or a combination of birth certificate, national insurance
number and naturalisation certificate or right of abode certificate
businesses that fail to implement the directive will have their
licences revoked according to the interior minister.
But landlords say they are not ‘immigration experts’ and as such they
cannot be expected to do the work of border police.
Tightening illegal operation of foreign nationals in South Sudan is
part of a comprehensive review of the Immigration Bill which will be
introduced later this year.
Government officials including President Salva Kiir Mayardit have
expressed concern echoing widely held views by the public that
foreigners are taking jobs which could be done by locals.
(ST)
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