South Sudan’s immigration officers at the Nimule border point had been finally notified about the lifting of visas for Ugandan nationals entering the country, a senior officer said.
Last week, the government of South Sudan directed the Ministry of Interior to waive visa entry for all Uganda nationals holding valid passports effective October 4, 2021. The two countries were charging $50 for a single entry visa for ordinary citizens.
This is in response to the government of Uganda’s decision to waive off visa fees for South Sudanese entering Uganda effective October 1.
However, some Ugandan nationals who tried to enter South Sudan through the Nimule border crossing complained that the South Sudan immigration officials denied them entry on Monday, 4 October. They said South Sudan officials were still charging $50 for a single entry visa.
“Up to 5 October, we were still charging them [Ugandans] $50 because there was no official letter from the headquarters and we received that in the evening of 5 October. So, starting from 6 October we implemented the order and now we don’t charge them,” Brigadier General Muorwel Majok, the Director of Immigration in Nimule, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday.
He added, “What I am telling Ugandans is for them to make sure that they come and produce their documents in the office, not on the roadside because there are people who are not immigration officers who deceive them on the roadside by collecting their documents claiming that they are coming to facilitate.”
The move taken by South Sudan and Uganda was in adherence to the provisions of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, and the Common Market Protocol on Free Movement of labour and persons for the citizens of partner States that was adopted on November 20, 2009.
In April 2016, South Sudan joined the regional intergovernmental organization which includes Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.