South Sudan government has decided to dispatch a high level delegation to Washington DC to fast truck repatriation of 137 South Sudanese nationals and enhance diplomatic ties amid diplomatic jitters on incident involving Mr. Kintu Malual that led to revocation of visas.
According to the office of the Vice President for Economic Cluster, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel the delegation that will travel to the U.S. in coming days will be led by the minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater.
It includes Mr. Jonny Ohisa, the governor of Central Bank and the Director General of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration, Gen Elia Kosta to work closely with Trump’e authority for order, legal and dignified return process.
“The Government of the Republic of South Sudan announces that it will dispatch a high- level delegation to Washington, D.C. in the coming days to engage directly with officials from the United States Government on the urgent matter of repatriating approximately 137 South Sudanese nationals currently subject to deportation orders from the United States,” partly reads the statement.
“This delegation will work in close coordination with the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate an orderly, legal, and dignified return process,” it added.
However, this sparked criticism among civilians who hailed the move but wonder why the government delegation sidelined the minister of Foreign affairs who was supposed to led the delegation and polish image and revived diplomatic ties.
Kiir administration said it takes full responsibility in addressing this matter with seriousness and urgency.
“Hence, the incident involving Mr. Kintu Makula/Nemeri Garang was regrettable and isolated, and internal measures have since been taken to prevent recurrence of such regrettable incidents,” VP Bol Mel explained.
“The Government of South Sudan wishes to express its respect and appreciation to President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their leadership and continued commitment to enforcing U.S. immigration policy,” he noted.
South Sudan government apologized for any inconvenience caused to the United States of America and reiterated their desire to resolve this issue swiftly and in a spirit of cooperation.
“South Sudan is proud to stand with the United States as a partner in securing access to strategic resources vital to both South Sudan and U.S. economies and national security,”
VP said president Salva Kiir remains committed to maintaining warm, constructive, and positive engagement with the United States across all areas of mutual interest including trade, investment, regional security, oil production, and strategic cooperation on critical minerals.
