Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya government urgedto conduct joint citizens sensitization on visa waiver so that citizens could know the meaning of visa waiver among thecountries.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO saidthat “It is time for South Sudan-Ugandaimmigration authorities to have joint citizens’ visa waiver sensitizationsession in both Juba and Kampala to educate citizens to avoid mistakes with theprinciples of visa waiver. The public voice stakeholders like civil societyfamily in their various establishments should join with the leadership of theSouth Sudan migration authorities to sensitize the citizens on the actualoperationalization of the Visa Wavier so that citizens are aware of thelegality associated with the visa waiver practice,” he said.
“Recently, government urged the citizens totake responsibility to respect the legal steps for benefiting the Visawaiver. Early similar directive was madeby the Uganda authorities,”
He added that recently communications fromSouth Sudan Police Services on the issue of the visa waiver offered veryimportant message on why was important to sensitize the citizens of Visa Waiveramong the countries in the region. The CEPO urged polices authorities in SouthSudan and Uganda to conduct joint citizens sensitization on the visa wavier andthis should embrace the involvement of civil society and media since they playeffective role in raising public awareness on the use and importance ofobserving the legal steps in the face of visa wavier services
Herevealed that the recently positive developments were witnessed between South Sudanverse Uganda and South Sudan verse Kenya over matters of Visa Waiver. VisaWaiver is such important act for the interest of freemovement and trade in the region and among countries. But the reality is thatthe state action on the Visa Waiver is somehow questionable. Practice is tellingus that South Sudanese arriving Uganda have complained on the matters of visaWaiver as the same as Ugandans arriving in South Sudan. Community Empowermentfor Progress Organization was greatly considered about the harassments andintimidations citizens of South Sudan and Uganda were receiving from bothcountry immigration authorities
The business community view the visa waiver askey aspect for improvement of access to trade but from the aspect of practicethe business community was not aware of the legal aspects associated with thevisa waiver. The visa wavier is a clear demonstrate of commitment for therealization of free movement protocol by regional body such as IGAD and AfricanUnion.
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