Government commits to uphold protection of foreign migrants

The First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, on Tuesday reaffirmed the government's commitment to uphold international statutes protecting the rights of foreign migrants working in the country.
First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, speaks during the opening of three-day Migration Summit in Juba on Tuesday (Photo by Awan Achiek)

By Awan Achiek

The First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to uphold international statutes protecting the rights of foreign migrants working in the country.

“The third aspect we should take care of is to protect migrant rights. Many migrants especially those without legal status, face exploitation and abuse and sometimes even those who have legal documents,” said Machar said during the opening of the three-day annual Inter-Ministerial Summit in Juba.

Machar assured foreign migrants of the government’s commitment to protect them from exploitation and abuse.

“When they are taken to another country, they get abused. And I believe that for the migrants who come to South Sudan, we should avoid them being exploited or being abused,” he said.

He advised foreign migrants to respect the laws of the country they are working in.

“So, in strengthening the legal rights and fighting against discrimination, it is essential to ensure that migration respects human dignity and international law,” he added.

Machar noted that migrants are crucial in contributing to the economic growth of the country.

For her part, Angelina Teny, Minister of Interior disclosed that they are finding challenges in combating illegal smuggling and human trafficking at the borders of the country.

However, she noted that a number of criminal activities involving smuggling of persons and trafficking in persons have been dismantled.

Teny underscored the importance of creating specialized units to deal with the issues of migrants.

“Our open-door policy and the attitude of our people are very welcoming. Sometimes they contribute positively most of the time, but occasionally contribute negatively, because where criminal activities are concerned, we tend to turn a blind eye,” she disclosed.

Meanwhile, Asar Muhamed,  Deputy Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in South Sudan, said that the country continues to be both a source and destination for various groups of migrants, including refugees, migrant laborers, and asylum seekers from different countries.

He said that this can be seen in the thousands of returnees and Sudanese refugees arriving in South Sudan from war-torn Sudan since April 2023.

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