Author: Baria Johnson | Published: 8 hours ago
Major General Elia Costa, Director of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports, and Immigration by Senior Presidential Envoy Hon. Adut Salva Kiir on January 19, 2026 | Photo: Madrama James/Eye Radio
JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – The Director of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports, and Immigration, Major General Elia Costa, told Senior Presidential Envoy Adut Salva on Monday that a Hepatitis B outbreak is killing his officers. He is appealing for urgent help.
During a high-level visit by the Envoy to the Directorate, Maj. Gen. Costa delivered a blunt assessment of the department’s health crisis. “I am losing my officers,” he stated, citing a lack of medical support and a lack of preventative care as the primary causes of staff mortality.
The Director urged the Envoy’s office to facilitate an immediate medical response to protect the remaining workforce. “We have a problem with an outbreak of diseases like Hepatitis B, which has claimed the lives of many of our officers,” Maj. Gen. Costa stated. “We are requesting support to conduct mass testing. We need to provide treatment for those who test positive and vaccinations for those who are negative.”
Beyond the health crisis, the Director highlighted a severe lack of resources that is crippling the directorate’s daily operations. Currently, the institution only retains 5% of the revenue it collects, an amount Costa describes as insufficient to cover basic institutional needs.
The Director also cited poor incentives and a lack of transport as major hurdles for staff welfare. “Resources are a big problem affecting our work,” Costa explained. “What we receive is not enough to do anything. Furthermore, our officers live very far away and lack means of transport. This makes it extremely difficult for them to arrive early in the morning as required by this directorate.”
The Major General appealed to higher authorities to increase the directorate’s budget allocation and provide the necessary logistics to strengthen operations. He emphasized that improving the welfare of personnel—through food security, transport, and fair incentives—is essential to maintaining the integrity of the country’s immigration services.
The Directorate of Immigration remains one of the state’s most critical revenue-generating institutions, yet its staff continue to struggle with basic survival and health safety.
