South Sudan government has waived visa requirements for Tanzanian citizens, a measure to boost regional integration.
Africa’s youngest nation became the 6th member after joining the East African Community (EAC) in April 2016.
South Sudan’s Minister of Interior Michael Chiangjiek told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that Tanzanians will no longer need a visa to get into South Sudan.
He explained that Tanzanian citizens will no longer be required to obtain the passport stamp granting entry to South Sudan in accordance with the treaty of the regional body.
“We are just reciprocating with a visa exemption because Tanzania had waived visa requirements for South Sudanese,” he said.
The minister pointed out that the government is also planning to make it easier for citizens of Uganda and Kenya to visit South Sudan with ease.
“I am working with my counterparts from Kenya and Uganda on how to waive visa requirements. There are legal procedures to be done first before we could waive visa requirements, so we are still working on the matter,” he said.
Chiangjiek stressed that legal procedures are important to ensure that criminals don’t exploit the visa waiver program.
The East African Community (EAC) is a six-member regional intergovernmental organization that brings together Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The EAC aims at widening and deepening cooperation among the partner states and other regional economic communities.