The undersecretary in the ministry of labour signed a directive last week which called for the termination of all Sudanese nationals in South Sudan or register as foreigners if they wish to stay.
The directive follows a review in the country’s employment policy guidelines after it achieved its independence last year.The directive says that all Sudanese officials employed previously as Sudanese nationals will leave their current jobs in a period of 30 days or process work and resident permits if they wish to remain in the country.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one Sudanese trader who has been in Juba since 2007 said he has no problem registering as a foreigner because he wants to respect the country’s laws.
He added that attaining the documents takes a longer period and that none of his colleagues has been given a resident permit or a work permit so far.
The directive has been sent off to the private sector, international NGOs, diplomatic missions and UN agencies.
There are Sudanese who have been residing in South Sudan for over three decades. The directive however, does not talk about the fate of this group.
Fadir Mohammed Ali is a colonel in the SPLA. He comes from Blue Nile and he has lived in the south since 1992. He hoped that people like him will be rendered special arrangements.
Lomoro Robert, a member of the Law Association, says the country’s Transitional Constitution has not stated when one can become a national and does not define the state of non-South Sudanese who have lived in the country since Sudan attained it independence from Britain in 1956.