South Sudan alarmed by high influx of undocumented aliens

JUBA – The government has raised an alarm over the high influx of foreigners, particularly Eritreans and Ugandans with no legal residential documents.

Director-General for Civic Registry, Nationality, Passport and Migration, Lt. Gen. Atem Marol Biar, wondered how Eritreans outnumbered other nationals from the neighboring countries despite South Sudan not sharing a border with Eritrea.

According to the report released by authorities last Monday, more than 90 percent of Eritrean and Ugandan nationals in South Sudan do not have visas.

Mr. Biar said the report was disclosed to them by different security agencies.

The revelation came at a joint press conference between the Directorate of the Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration, and the Ugandan Community in Juba last week.

Claims of harassment

The conference was meant to address the complaints raised by Ugandan nationals about over-taxation for the acquisition of visas and alleged mistreatment by some South Sudanese police officers.

“The high committee asked me about what we should do about the number of people without documents. So, we agreed that temporary state permits should be given to them for one month with a condition,” Biar revealed.

The Director-General stressed that nowhere in any country in the world someone can enter another country without a legal document.

The official warned that the continued acceptance of undocumented foreigners may lead to insecurity in the country.

Biar revealed that his office was conducting a silent search to determine the exact number and details of foreigners living in the country.

“We are supposed to deport a number of these people but the number is very big and it is very difficult to deport a big number. We have decided to provide them with a temporary state permit,” he said.

He said most of them have stayed in the country for more than seven years without a visa.

“What we want is that people [should] use the official way of coming into the country and this is my request to you,” he appealed.

According to South Sudan, Passports and Immigration Act, 2011 section 16, no alien shall enter South Sudan unless he or she has a valid visa and that a visa shall be granted to an alien by a Competent Authority; and shall, where practicable, be endorsed on his or her passport.

After entering South Sudan, an alien shall within three days, report to the nearest Competent Authority to register his or her presence in South Sudan by the regulations.

“The person who enters the country without a document is supposed to be arrested and taken to court, but we are not doing so all we want is for them to acquit themselves with the process of documents,” he said, urging Ugandan representative to disseminate information to their colleagues.

On Wednesday, Biar dismissed the report that foreigners were being arrested over visas.

“We send the police officers to inform the people. [So far] there are no issues of arrest and if there is someone who has been arrested, the person should be released.”

“We have given them three months and after that, we will make another silent search after three months and if they fail to process their document, I think they should not blame us,” he emphasized.

Biar reiterated that most Ugandans who are in the country have stayed for over 7 years or more without a visa.

“If someone does not have the visa or documents, [all they] have to do is to go to Kololo or Business Union so that their visa is processed.

“The problem is that most people just come in the country and stay until their visa expires and don’t renew it and they just stay and they are staying with us and this will bring insecurity in the country,” Biar said.

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