By Awan Achiek
The Vice President and chairperson for the Service Cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, has renewed calls for regional and international countries to lift Ebola-related travel restrictions imposed on South Sudanese travelers, affirming that South Sudan remains Ebola-free.
Akol made the appeal on Thursday during the inauguration of his new office in Juba. The restrictions were initially imposed by several countries following Ebola outbreaks in neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He argued that these measures unfairly restrict the movement of South Sudanese citizens despite the country’s Ebola-free status.
“In light of South Sudan’s Ebola-free status, I urge countries in the region and beyond not to restrict South Sudanese movement to their countries under the guise of Ebola risk,” Akol stated, reiterating the point for emphasis.
Akol stressed that South Sudan continues to strengthen surveillance and preparedness measures to prevent the disease from entering its borders.
“South Sudan is Ebola-free, and its citizens should not be prevented from traveling around the world,” Akol asserted.
He highlighted the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cross-border health security signed between South Sudan and Uganda on September 7, 2026.
Akol explained that the MoU aims to institutionalize cooperation on disease surveillance, information sharing, early-warning and alert systems, joint simulation exercises, investigations, and coordinated responses.
“These measures have been taken to protect our civil population. I am pleased to report that South Sudan has zero Ebola cases, and we hope it will never have any for as long as we take the right measures.”
Akol also noted that the country is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the conflict in Sudan and climatic shocks, which have displaced over a million people.
“This dire situation has affected the delivery of essential services such as healthcare, education, and shelter to families.”
He acknowledged that donor contributions have drastically reduced, impacting their ability to provide services to affected communities.
“I would like to take this opportunity to assure all our development partners that the government is committed to ensuring that budgetary allocations for these government agencies are improved.”
Akol reaffirmed his office’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with development partners, urging all stakeholders and representatives of development organizations to work closely with the government.
“This year, South Sudan has made efforts to prevent an Ebola outbreak in her territory, and this has paid off,” he said.
In May 2026, South Sudan, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) agreed on a joint communiqué in Kampala to strengthen regional coordination against the Ebola outbreak.
The commitments included cross-border surveillance, early-warning systems, joint contact tracing, information sharing, preparedness at border points, infection prevention, and community engagement.
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