{"id":58061,"date":"2025-12-02T00:06:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T21:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/?p=58061"},"modified":"2025-12-02T00:06:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T21:06:06","slug":"unease-in-juba-as-the-return-of-its-nationals-to-the-south-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/02\/unease-in-juba-as-the-return-of-its-nationals-to-the-south-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"Unease in Juba as the Return of Its Nationals to the South Continues"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

As joint forces \u2014 comprising the army, security, police, and supporting units \u2014 continue operations targeting foreign nationals and clearing informal settlements, several neighboring capitals have begun expressing discomfort over the steady return of their citizens who are being deported from Sudanese cities for residency violations. Given that South Sudanese nationals form the largest and most widespread foreign presence in Sudan \u2014 and that most of them lack any form of identification, residency permits, or passports \u2014 the daily deportations have become substantial. This initially sparked media criticism in Juba before matters calmed, only for the pressure to rise again, with renewed calls on South Sudan\u2019s authorities to intervene, especially after the return of \u201cold guard\u201d figures to power such as James Wani Igga.<\/p>\n

Most deported South Sudanese lack identity documents or passports because many were born and raised in northern Sudan, have little connection to South Sudan, and have never visited it. The irony here is that South Sudanese voted for secession by an overwhelming majority of more than 90%, yet millions remained in northern Sudan without identity papers or residency permits. They lived effectively as citizens, as authorities largely overlooked their status \u2014 until the war erupted, during which many South Sudanese joined and fought alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This turned the issue on its head, making it necessary to address the foreign residency file legally and remove all violators, particularly South Sudanese, Chadians, and Ethiopians, whose numbers collectively reach into the millions.<\/p>\n

This process is now underway through the joint-force campaigns, most recently in Salha, southwest of Omdurman, where dozens of foreign nationals violating residency laws were arrested, along with seized weapons and narcotics \u2014 a recurring pattern in nearly all such operations.<\/p>\n

As this file moves forward, Juba\u2019s media began expressing agitation, urging South Sudan\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the presidency to adopt a stronger position. Some commentators even called for severing relations with northern Sudan over what they describe as the \u201carbitrary\u201d deportation of millions of South Sudanese.<\/p>\n

However, Major General (Ret.) Salah al-Din Doshka argues that such rhetoric is mere sensationalism by journalists, and that the Government of South Sudan will not be swayed by it.
\nHe explains:
\n\u201cJuba knows that what is happening is an internal Sudanese decision based on the law. Those being deported are, with the full knowledge of South Sudan\u2019s embassy, in violation of residency regulations \u2014 let alone their participation in the war and in RSF operations, and their involvement in killing Sudanese civilians. Regardless of all that, they violated residency laws, so they were removed. The Government of South Sudan itself deports foreigners who violate its residency laws every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continues:
\n\u201cSouth Sudan imposes strict residency rules on foreigners. How can it demand that Sudan continue to host massive numbers of South Sudanese without residency permits, identity documents, or any defined work? It is clear the Sudanese government will not reverse its decision; if it intended to, the ongoing campaigns would have stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds:
\n\u201cJuba should thank Sudan for hosting millions of South Sudanese for years despite economic crises and war \u2014 and for deporting them without trials. In many countries, violators of residency laws are prosecuted before being expelled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Osama Hanfi, professor of political science at the University of Sudan, says the situation may stir existing sensitivities between Juba and Khartoum. However, since the decision applies to all foreign nationals, he does not expect its political repercussions to escalate:
\n\u201cJuba understands the reasons behind Khartoum\u2019s measures regarding foreign nationals and the removal of informal settlements. It is aware of the circumstances and recognizes Sudan\u2019s legal and moral right to deport any foreigner violating its residency laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds:
\n\u201cThere are communications between the two governments, but I do not think Sudan will back down.\u201d<\/p>\n

He clarifies:
\n\u201cTo be clear, most foreigners who entered the country with legal papers and residency permits left when the war began. Those who remain are individuals with no residency status and no identification. How can it be that Sudanese citizens flee the war while foreigners stay? This is highly unusual. Many of these foreigners became involved in the conflict, with some even taking up arms alongside the RSF. It is hard to believe South Sudanese intelligence is unaware of their citizens\u2019 participation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continues:
\n\u201cWhat is happening now is simply that some South Sudanese activists and media figures are trying to escalate the issue to halt the deportation campaigns and pressure their government into taking a stance \u2014 one that ultimately will not serve them. The facts are clear: Sudan has every right to deport any foreigner violating its residency laws.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sudan Events \u2013 Agencies As joint forces \u2014 comprising the army, security, police, and supporting units \u2014 continue operations targeting foreign nationals and clearing informal settlements, several neighboring capitals have begun expressing discomfort over the steady return of their citizens who are being deported from Sudanese cities for residency violations. Given that South Sudanese nationals …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58061","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\/58061","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=58061"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58062,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58061\/revisions\/58062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}