S Sudan: Custom and Immigration scramble: What a nasty game?
By Jervasio O. Okot
Oct 27, 2006 — It’s outrageous and naive to hear that Khartoum is dispatching 300 Immigration officials to be deployed in Juba to check visas for International Aid workers issued by the Khartoum Government, discrediting the SPLM permit as a mere ‘Blue paper’ which is insufficient.
This action could have been provoked following last week entry of President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in Juba to boost the peace talks between his government and the LRA; which Khartoum criticized as a breach of protocol. However, Khartoum should know that for the last two decades, South Sudan and the other marginalized areas have been catered for by the international aid organizations with a constant issuance of travel permits from Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SRRC). It had not been reported nor had it happened that an aid worker had been spotted entering Sudan without this kind of permit which is equivalent to a visa.
Even after the comprehensive peace agreement was signed on January 9th 2005, passengers entering Juba have been obtaining visas from SPLM offices and it’s the right of the immigration officials to allow whoever is granted valid approval to enter South Sudan by the SRRC. This makes things easier than obtaining visas directly from Khartoum which often frustrates foreigners including its own nationals who hail from the opposite side of Sudan and sometimes go as far as sabotaging those aid workers coming to the South for humanitarian work to serve the needy and destitute people.
If the NCP supports their argument on the basis of the CPA that those entering the South must obtain the visas from Khartoum, and then the question is, why are they particularly interested in the issue of immigration and custom? What is so fishy about these areas while undermining the SPLM, dishonoring and mutilating the CPA through actions and systematic utterances? Is it because of the revenues associated with customs and immigration? Why is it that when it comes to the issue of monetary they tend to behave like wolves?
Nonetheless, the NCP should know that their interest is not the same as the interest of the Government of South Sudan; they should keep away from the Southern borders and immigration check points otherwise; their presence is vicious and will add more fuel to an already razing flame of mistrust. Why should they deploy immigration officials before the formation of the border commission which is clearly stipulated on the CPA to identify the borders as per January 1st 1956? Why Khartoum refuses to employ Southern Sudanese in the Federal Ministry of Industry and Mining as part of the 28% of civil servants to take part in the northern sector? There is no logic of bringing custom and immigration official without following the procedures which have been predetermined on the peace document. Shame on NCP! Let them leave GOSS alone with their development partners to develop South Sudan which has been ruined by them for many years. They should continue muddling in their affairs as they do at the airport in Khartoum by checking the hard discs and documents of aid workers.
The Government of South Sudan respects the status qua of UN and Aid workers as per the Geneva Convention because the development of our people depends entirely on them. The Aid workers had suffered with the people in the jungles during the advent of war despite constant threat emanating from Khartoum of banning humanitarian fights to south Sudan and other marginalized corridors.
The marginalized are tired of marginalization; so they don’t need it to come through proxy at the border and customs control. The south has potential and credible people who are sensitive to border incursion and are able to do the job and interact with international bodies professionally.
The NCP must refrain from behaving as if the marginalize people in the Sudan have no brains to comprehend their gimmicks. They should demonstrate conscience in the implementation of the peace agreement and they will be accorded respect as partners to the CPA.
* The Author is a Sudanese Journalist working as Civic Education and Communication officer of Relief Organization of Fazugli (ROOF). He is also Managing Editor of the Kakar Newspaper for Blue Nile State. The view express here is personal and does not reflect the view of ROOF. Mr. Okot can be reached on the following contact address: Email: [email protected] or [email protected]