South Sudan to deport Ethiopian, Eritrean nationals despite threats of prosecution back home

JUBA – South Sudan police authorities have said that they have started deportation procedures for at least 13 Ethiopian and Eritrean nationals for entering the country illegally, despite having been told by the asylum seekers that they may be subjected to prosecution in their home countries.

The Director-General of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration, General Atem Marol Biar, said the unidentified Eritrean and Ethiopian citizens were arrested in Bentiu and Paloch and then transported to Juba for preparation of deportation procedures.

“We received 13 people from Bentiu who were forced into the plane by those who were there. We have also decided that the directorate will deport them in the coming week and we’ll plan their deportation to where they came from,” he said.

The senior police officer further warned immigration authorities against allowing foreigners without proper documentation.

“We cannot continue to receive people who do not have documents but are from different countries, as this will make our country a risky country,” he said.

“We don’t know why these people don’t have documents, and anyone who doesn’t possess documents from his native country is not a good person. By the way, if the person is a good person, he should be given travel documents from his country,” he added.

THREATS OF PROSECUTION

Speaking to Sudans Post separately, a member of the Ethiopian community in Juba said some of the Ethiopian citizens arrested were arriving from Sudan after fleeing their home country and that their deportation will be a big blow to their safety.

“Some of them came from Sudan, according to what I am hearing from our community members. They went to Sudan recently fleeing Ethiopia and if they are deported back, they may be jailed, or even killed,” the Ethiopian community member who refused to be identified for fear of reprisal said.

He appealed to the government in Juba to forgive them since they are people, he said, who are in danger back home.

“Yes the entered the country illegally, but sometimes when you are in trouble, there is no time or way for you to wait and go through the legal procedures to leave your country. So, the government and the sisterly people of this country need to forgive these people on humanitarian grounds,” he added.