South Sudan’s foreign ministry said Thursday that 12 of its citizens were killed and 40 others injured in a bus collision in Sudan on Wednesday.
The crash occurred Wednesday in the city of Duweim in Sudan’s White Nile state, the ministry said in a statement. Two passenger buses collided, one of which was carrying South Sudanese returnees traveling back to their home country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “sadly informed” of the incident and expressed “deepest condolence to the families of the deceased.” It also wished a quick recovery to the injured.
The South Sudanese government said it was unaware of the “transportation of large number of South Sudanese nationals from Sudan to South Sudan” and called for better coordination with Sudan on the repatriation of refugees in the future.
The ministry said it is monitoring the situation through its embassy in Port Sudan and working with Sudanese authorities to ensure support for the victims and their families.
Tens of thousands of South Sudanese remained in Sudan more than a decade after South Sudan’s 2011 independence. A devastating war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 has forced many to flee back to their homeland. Their return has been further complicated by Sudan’s recent tightening of laws on foreign nationals, leaving many South Sudanese facing legal uncertainty.