Angry South Sudanese stormed the Department of Nationality, Passport, and Immigration in Juba on Thursday, to voice their frustration over delays in the issuance of travel and identification documents.
The protestors accused officials of dishonesty and poor service, leading to severe personal and financial repercussions.
A particularly heart-wrenching case involved a woman whose child, requiring urgent medical treatment in Israel, has been waiting since May for a passport. The delay has prevented the child from receiving critical surgery despite the mother having paid all the fees.
“My child is 10 years old and missed a chance to go to Israel for surgery because of this passport issue,” the woman told Radio Tamazuj.
“We have been sleeping on the streets, without food or water. What will I do if the medical team returns and my child cannot go?”
Students have also been impacted, with some missing out on scholarship opportunities. One student, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed frustration, stating:
“I do not stay in Juba. I have been wasting money traveling to Juba for nothing, and we are losing scholarships because of the delays. We have presented letters from the Ministry of Education and Foreign Affairs showing our need for the passport, but they kept dodging us.”
The Director-General of the Directorate of Nationality, Civil Registry, Passport, and Immigration, Gen. Simon Majur Pabek, attributed the delays to a shortage of the passport booklets. Pabek explained that the expected delivery last week had not materialized and admitted that the department has a backlog of applicants dating back to 2012. He urged citizens to be patient as they address the issues.
The passport office has a history of delays linked to financial troubles. The department faced criticism for a similar shortage of booklets in 2020, caused by unpaid debts to a German printing company.
South Sudan had halted the issuance of Nationality Certificate Identification Cards and passports when the German firm ceased operations over an outstanding bill of US$6.9 million. Although the government resumed services in November 2021 after paying US$3.4 million, a further dispute last April led to another halt in booklet provision due to an outstanding balance of US$1.74 million.
The ongoing financial disputes with the German firm, combined with the backlog, continue to plague the Immigration Department, leaving many South Sudanese in a state of uncertainty and frustration.