More than 20 migrants, mostly Eritreans and Ethiopians, who entered South Sudan illegally will be deported, according to the immigration department of the country.
They allegedly entered the country without passports or other travel documents when they were detained upon arrival at Juba International Airport a few days ago, according to local media.
According to an immigration officer, the migrants flew locally to Juba from the northern South Sudanese towns of Bentiu and Paloch after traveling from the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, to seek asylum there.
They will be sent to their country of origin, according to the interior ministry’s head of immigration, Lt. Gen. Atem Marol Biar. He said that they were detained because they lacked travel documents and ties to any South Sudanese organisations.
“We cannot continue receiving people who don’t have documents from different countries. It will put our country at risk because we don’t know the reason why they don’t have travelling documents,” local newspaper The Dawn quoted Lt Gen Biar as saying.
They were reportedly being held at Kololo, a special immigration facility in Juba for foreign nationals, pending their deportation, according to local media.
Many migrants travel to South Sudan in order to conduct business in the oil-producing country of East Africa. Due to its porous borders, it struggles to manage the flood of unauthorised immigrants.
Meanwhile, President Salva Kiir has held talks with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on peace and security in light of the implementation process of the revitalised peace agreement.
