South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The government of South Sudan on Saturday confirmed plans to repatriate the remaining six foreign inmates deported to the country by the United States to their home countries.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had successfully repatriated a Mexican citizen, one of eight men deported from the United States under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown on July 5.
Mr. Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez was released into the custody of the Mexican ambassador-designate to South Sudan, Alejandro Estivill.
Ambassador Apuk Ayuel Mayen, spokesperson for South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the deportees would not remain in the country but would be sent to their respective countries of origin.
“The government of the Republic of South Sudan remains committed to working with our international partners, especially the governments of the remaining six third-country national deportees, to ensure their safe and humane treatment and their repatriation to their countries of origin,” Mayen said while addressing reporters at a press conference at Juba International Airport on Saturday.
Mayen added that Mr. Munoz-Gutierrez had been treated with “full respect for his human dignity and fundamental rights” during his “temporary” stay in Juba.
“In line with international human rights obligations, we assure that Mr. Munoz-Gutierrez will not be subjected to torture, inhumane or degrading treatment, or undue prosecution upon his return,” she said.
“These assurances were an essential component of the repatriation process and reflect the mutual commitment of both governments to upholding the rule of law and the protection of individual rights.”
Munoz-Gutierrez told reporters in Juba before boarding a plane that the US had “kidnapped” him.
“I finished my time in the United States, and they were supposed to return me to Mexico. Instead, they wrongfully sent me to South Sudan,” he said.
For his part, Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO), welcomed the deportation of the Mexican national, stating that they will continue to advocate for the six deportees to be repatriated to their home countries.
“As human rights defenders, we stand for the safety of the deportees who remain behind the six, and we will campaign to ensure that the six deportees also join their families,” said Yakani.
