By Faith Nyasuguta
Over 40 Afghans have entered South Sudan without following the outlined legal procedures in line with the nation’s immigration authorities.
While addressing the sector commanders on Tuesday morning in Juba, Gen Atem Marol, who chairs the South Sudanese Immigration, Passports, and Civil Registry revealed that the refugees entered the country illegally.
“My office noticed that there are Afghans who entered the country without [our] knowledge or [following] procedures,” Atem said, adding that the foreigners are currently residing in one place.
The general, who said it was unclear how the Afghans had entered South Sudan, called on citizens to cooperate with the refugees and give them the required reception.
The Taliban took over Kabul on August 15 and currently, the president and other top officials have left Afghanistan.
The Taliban have announced a general amnesty for state employees, encouraged women to take part in its tentative government, and pledged that Afghan soil will not be a springboard for harming any nation.
Uganda became the first African nation to host Afghan refugees after its foreign affairs ministry confirmed the reception of 51 evacuees.
According to Uganda, the United States asked it to host “at-risk” Afghans and people of other nationalities who were in transit to America among other nations.
The East African nation is the largest refugee-hosting nation on the African continent and the fourth across the globe with over 1.5 million refugees.
The high influx of refugees is occasioned by several factors in nations neighboring Uganda, particularly war and violence in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Further, there are increasing economic crises and political instability in the region.
