South Sudan airspace is safe, says minister

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Deng Dau Deng (radiotamazuj.org)

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Deng Dau Deng Malek has assured South Sudanese and the international community that the country’s airspace is safe. Deng Dau is also the acting minister of Foreign Affairs.

Speaking on Tuesday, the acting foreign minister said that international flights to Juba have resumed normally following a temporary halt as a result of the crisis in Sudan. 

Addressing members of the diplomatic corps at the foreign ministry headquarters in Juba, Dau said the crisis in Sudan caused three aviation companies to halt their flights to South Sudan. He said the three airlines resumed their regular flights since Monday.

Dau said Fly Dubai, Turkish Airline, and Egyptian Airline flights to Juba were affected following the clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan Armed Forces that erupted on Saturday in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Since South Sudan gained independence in 2011, the country’s airspace has been controlled by Sudan but the Foreign minister revealed that the lower part of South Sudan’s airspace is now being controlled by the government of South Sudan and has not been affected. 

“There are three international airlines flying to Juba that were affected the day before yesterday (Saturday), but they have got their own routing, and they have arrived in Juba,” Dau said. “We have Turkish Airlines, Egypt Air, and Fly Dubai; these were three flights that were affected.” 

Dau said the crisis in Sudan has mainly affected two flight routes entering the country in the upper airspace, but the lower airspace remains unaffected.

“There are two routes, the one approaching from Upper Nile, meaning from Malakal as you are coming from Sudan, that route is affected. There is also a route from Eritrea as you cross western Ethiopia; that route is also affected quite slightly, but all the other routes are open,” Dau said.

He revealed that the crisis only affected three flights in and out of the country, but the others have had their normal flights uninterrupted, including Kenya Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Ugandan Airlines, and Rwandan Airlines. 

“Other airlines are accessing our airspace and our airspace is safe. We have nappers managing the lower airspace, and it is so safe, so you can travel very safely,” Dau said.