Parliamentary Forum on Labour says 5000 Ugandans Jailed in South Sudan over Visas

South Sudan visa (Wikimedia)

The Parliamentary Forum on Labour, Decent Employment and Productivity (UPFLEP) is seeking an engagement with the Speaker of the Parliament regarding the status of Ugandans in South Sudan.

According to the Forum’s Chairperson, MP Roland Ndyomugyenyi, South Sudan has made massive arrests of Ugandans on entry as they are still requested to have visas contrary to an October 1, 2021 decision by both Governments to waive entry visa requirements for both citizens.

The move was hailed as a significant booster to the already existing stronger bilateral relations between the two countries.

However, according to Ndyomugyenyi, the current information shared by Ugandans living in South Sudan is not portraying the earlier communication made by both Governments.

According to the Coordinator of the Forum, Joshua Laban Musinguzi, over 5,000 Ugandans are in prison because of visas.

He said that various attempts to visit and hold discussions with the concerned embassies formally and informally have not yielded positive results.

“It is with great concern that we seek your intervention not only as the Patron of the forum but also the Speaker of Parliament to bring this matter up for discussion,” Musinguzi said at a press conference held at the Forum’s office in Kampala.

South Sudan and Uganda agreed to exempt their citizens from visa requirements when traveling to either country.

This was confirmed by South Sudan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry in October 2021.