Author: Michael Daniel | Published: 3 hours ago
Maj. Gen. Elia Costa, the Director General of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration – Photo credit: Eye Radio/Awan Moses
JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) — The Director General of Nationality, Passport, and Immigration has announced the launch of a major nationwide crackdown on foreigners living in the country, and to link South Sudan’s residency system directly to mobile phone SIM card validity.
Speaking during the Around South Sudan show on Eye Radio last Friday, October 17, Major General Elia Costa Faustino revealed that this initiative aims to strengthen immigration control and ensure strict compliance with residency laws.
“In Juba, we have ten immigration stations distributed in the Jebel neighborhood, Customs Market, Number Three, Juba City, Munuki neighborhood, Habuba Bridge, and Gumbo Sharikat,” Maj. Gen. Costa stated.
“There is an immigration officer responsible for reviewing the records of foreigners in their vicinity and following up on the registration processes of foreigners, and this is not enough,” he said.
“We now have a line to conduct an examination and inventory of the foreign presence in the country. We will carry out this step by registering with a telephone SIM card. We will now register foreigners through a telephone SIM card, and we will link the residence system and its period to the telephone SIM card, if the period of residence is three or six months,” Maj Gen. Costa detailed the new policy.
The Director General explained that this new mechanism will be executed in collaboration with telecommunications companies operating in South Sudan.
According to Costa, once a foreigner’s residency period expires, the corresponding company will close the telephone SIM card.
He said to activate the service, the individual must first renew their residency at the Immigration Office, after which the SIM card will be returned to service.
Maj. Gen. Costa also issued a strong warning against South Sudanese citizens who facilitate illegal access to SIM cards for foreigners:
“As for some citizens facilitating foreigners obtaining a telephone SIM card illegally through the country’s citizens, this behavior is considered a violation of the law,” Maj. Gen Costa said.
“There is a monitoring process, and if it is proven that any citizen is involved in helping a foreigner obtain a telephone SIM card illegally, he will be subject to punishment.”
“If the foreigner commits a crime with a chip that is registered in your name, then you are responsible before the law. Therefore, I call on citizens not to get involved in this violation,” he concluded with a serious caution on legal responsibility.
