The Hajj Office in South Sudan has officially opened applications for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage.
Hajj is an annual religious pilgrimage to Mecca undertaken each year by millions of Muslims from all over the world.
Eilaish Chan, the Executive Director of the Hajj and Umrah Affairs Office, confirmed the commencement of application procedures for the Hajj for the year 1445 AH (2024 AD).
The cost of the Hajj this year has been set at $5000 in Saudi currency (13,000 Saudi Riyals). This announcement was made Wednesday during a press conference held at the Conference Hall of the Islamic Council in Juba.
Chan informed journalists that the application process for the Hajj will begin on Monday, the 11th of this month, and will run until the end of the month of Ramadhan.
Applications can be submitted at the Hajj and Umrah Affairs Office at the Islamic Council, as well as at regional offices across the ten states and three administrative provinces. It was emphasized that South Sudan’s decision to align with Arab countries rather than African countries has helped reduce the Hajj fees this year.
Regarding the annual support provided by the Presidency for pilgrims, Chan explained, “Yes, the President used to assist pilgrims, but this support ceased in 2019 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Although we reached out to the President regarding Hajj, he was preoccupied with the ongoing peace process.”
Mohammed Al-Malik, the official overseeing pilgrim recruitment, shared that the age range for male pilgrims, as per the Ministry of Hajj, is between 18 and 60 years. Individuals over 60 are not accepted for health reasons related to the procedures during the Hajj rituals, considering the movement within the Sacred House of Allah. For women, the accepted age range is between 40 and 45 years.
It’s noteworthy that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has allocated 1360 opportunities for pilgrims from South Sudan for the upcoming year.