CEPO launches initiative to prevent further deportation of asylum seekers

JUBA – South Sudan’s civil society watchdog, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), has launched an initiative to prevent further deportation of asylum seekers it said may face prosecution in their home countries.

This comes less than a week after authorities in South Sudan deported at least 20 Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants despite having been informed in advance that the unnamed migrants who entered the country without proper documentation could face prosecution from back home.

In a statement to Sudans Post on Sunday, CEPO said it has launched an initiative to prevent further deportation of asylum seekers by the government saying the authorities acted in a wrong manner when it deported the Eritrean and the Ethiopian migrants considering the conflict in Ethiopia and the repressive regime in Eritrea.

“CEPO has launched advocacy an initiative for preventing more deportation of migrants and asylum seekers from South Sudan back to their respective countries. This campaign came after South Sudan deported over 20 Eritreans and Ethiopia asylum seekers this month without considering their safety and security in relation to the situation going on in their respective countries,” the statement said.

Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO said the situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea is dangerous for some of these countries’ citizens because they have fears that force them flee their countries in the first place without a proper documentation.

“The situation in Eritrean and Ethiopia forced some citizens of those countries to opt to for asylum or leave their respective countries in improper or illegal way because their safety cannot wait. The leadership of South Sudan should really consider the issue of safety, protection and security for nationals of such countries before deportation measures,” he said.

“Eritrean and Ethiopian citizens contributed a lot in our struggle for independence so whatever the situation will be let us honor and treat them with respect. Actually, South Sudan should be playing an effective role and ensure that political differences in Eritrean and Ethiopia are resolved in a peaceful manner,” Yakani stressed.