South Sudan Embassy in Khartoum has welcomed the recent decision taken by the Sudanese government for reneging on its previous program to treat South Sudanese nations who are residing in its territory as nationals when receiving services.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj yesterday, Kembe Jeremiah Abraham, humanitarian attaché at the South Sudanese embassy in Khartoum, commended the decision to treat South Sudanese nationals in Sudan as foreigners.
Jeremiah further said his government had been urging the Sudanese government to recognise South Sudanese nationals as refugees so the United Nations could provide them aid assistance, saying the step might have been taken for humanitarian reasons.
“The decision will benefit the South Sudanese citizens, because it will improve the humanitarian conditions of the refugees who are here, so the decision is importance,” said Jeremiah.
Last week, the Sudanese government decided to treat South Sudanese nationals who are currently living in Sudan and new arrivals as foreigners. The Khartoum government threatened to punish whoever accommodates any foreigners who do not obtain papers.
The decision came after a memorandum of understanding signed by Sudan’s refugee office with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) last Thursday, with the purpose of providing food aid to the refugees in East Darfur, South Kordofan, West Kordofan, White Nile and Khartoum States.
The decision came contrary to a previous decision approved by President Omar Al-Bashir to deal with the conflict-affected people from its southern neighbour in his country as normal citizens.