{"id":55820,"date":"2025-10-15T18:20:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T15:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/?p=55820"},"modified":"2025-10-15T19:21:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T16:21:11","slug":"after-deportation-campaigns-tensions-simmer-between-juba-and-khartoum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/after-deportation-campaigns-tensions-simmer-between-juba-and-khartoum\/","title":{"rendered":"After Deportation Campaigns, Tensions Simmer Between Juba and Khartoum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sudan Events \u2013 Agencies<\/strong><\/p>\n

As joint Sudanese forces\u2014comprising the army, police, intelligence services, and allied units\u2014move to tackle the issue of foreign nationals and dismantle informal settlements, several neighboring capitals have begun to express concern. Among them, Juba has voiced dissatisfaction following the arrival of thousands of South Sudanese nationals deported from Sudanese cities for lacking valid residency permits or identification papers.<\/p>\n

Many of these deportees were born and raised in northern Sudan, have never visited South Sudan, and know little about their country of origin.<\/p>\n

The irony, observers note, is that while more than 90% of South Sudanese voted for independence in 2011, millions continued to live in northern Sudan without legal documentation or residency permits\u2014treated in practice as citizens. Authorities largely turned a blind eye to the situation until the outbreak of Sudan\u2019s current war, during which many South Sudanese reportedly joined the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, fighting against the Sudanese army.<\/p>\n

This, analysts say, forced the government to confront the issue head-on: enforcing immigration laws and deporting all foreign nationals residing illegally\u2014chief among them South Sudanese, Chadians, and Ethiopians, whose numbers together are estimated in the millions. The latest operations took place yesterday in Salha, southwest of Omdurman, where dozens of undocumented foreigners were arrested, some in possession of weapons and narcotics\u2014a pattern that has been repeated in nearly every campaign.<\/p>\n

As the deportations continued, Juba\u2019s media began to react sharply, calling on South Sudan\u2019s Foreign Ministry and presidency to take a firm stance. Some commentators even urged a severing of diplomatic ties with Khartoum, describing the deportations of \u201cmillions\u201d of South Sudanese as \u201charsh and inhumane.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, retired Major General Salah Al-Din Doshka dismissed such rhetoric as \u201cemotional overreaction,\u201d saying the South Sudanese government understands that Sudan\u2019s actions are internal legal measures. \u201cThose deported are, with the full knowledge of their own embassy, in violation of residency laws\u2014let alone their participation in the conflict alongside militias,\u201d he said. \u201cEven ignoring the war issue, they broke immigration laws and were rightfully deported. South Sudan itself deports foreigners who violate its residency rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cJuba enforces strict immigration controls\u2014so how can it expect Khartoum to keep hosting millions of undocumented South Sudanese without IDs, jobs, or clear legal status? I don\u2019t believe the South Sudanese government would go so far as to cut ties over this issue. It knows those deported violated the law, and that Sudan, despite its economic crisis and ongoing war, hosted millions of South Sudanese for years and deported them humanely\u2014without trials, unlike what happens elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Political analyst Dr. Osama Hanafi, a professor of political science at the University of Sudan, noted that while the deportations might stir some sensitivities between Juba and Khartoum, he does not expect a major diplomatic escalation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision affects all foreign nationals, not just South Sudanese,\u201d Hanafi said. \u201cJuba understands why Khartoum is taking these steps\u2014addressing illegal immigration and clearing informal settlements. Sudan has both the legal and moral right to expel foreigners violating its residency laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that there are ongoing communications between the two governments, but he doubts Sudan will reverse its policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be clear,\u201d he said. \u201cMost foreigners who had legal papers left when the war began. Those who remain are undocumented. It\u2019s illogical for Sudanese citizens to flee the war while foreigners stay\u2014and many of these foreigners have even taken up arms alongside militias. I find it hard to believe that South Sudan\u2019s intelligence isn\u2019t aware of their citizens\u2019 involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanafi concluded that some South Sudanese activists and media figures are attempting to politicize the issue and pressure their government into an emotional reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the facts are clear,\u201d he said. \u201cSudan is within its sovereign right to deport any foreigner residing illegally on its soil.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sudan Events \u2013 Agencies As joint Sudanese forces\u2014comprising the army, police, intelligence services, and allied units\u2014move to tackle the issue of foreign nationals and dismantle informal settlements, several neighboring capitals have begun to express concern. Among them, Juba has voiced dissatisfaction following the arrival of thousands of South Sudanese nationals deported from Sudanese cities for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55820"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55822,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55820\/revisions\/55822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}