Who is Responsible for Illegal Immigration into South Sudan?

By Justin Maker Bol

January 10, 2013 (SSNA) — During the civil wars, many South Sudanese people fled their country to neighboring countries looking for a refuge and better life for their families. They stayed at the UN camps as refugees and eventually got resettled to USA, Europe, Australia and few African countries. To draw the fine line between immigration of South Sudanese to other countries and the influx of foreigners into South Sudan is that, these countries have got established institutions, stable economies, and experience in crime prevention, where as South Sudan is a venerable new born nation without basic infrastructure and/or essential services…basically starting from zip.

Today, flog of foreigners have immigrated to South Sudan through Kenya and Uganda.  Most of these immigrants entered into the country without proper documents and majority of them without money. They are poor, sick, unskilled, untrained, criminals and scam masters. As a result the crime rate is in rise due to illegal immigration and the immoral values have become the new normal. Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime but it is driving prostitution and spread of AIDS and unscrupulous business into South Sudan. These so called foreign investors are creating an anguish and lashing our young people into another dark trades of depravity and vice.

Let’s take a moment to examine some popular business models that exist in our capital Juba today and their influence in Community.

It’s self evident that sex trades and prostitutes in South Sudan are mostly from neighboring countries, of Uganda, Kenya, Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea. These prostitutes work at bars, nightclubs, hotels and hospitality services pamper in recruiting sex workers to serve with minimum wages or no pay. Often, prostitution practice lead to human trafficking involving teenage, violent and worst form of child abuse. It is obvious that prostitution jeopardizes the whole country at serious risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The spread of AIDS and STD in South Sudan could be catastrophic and would prime to lost of lives more than lives lost during the war a prince South Sudan must reject.

Manufacturing and falsifications of documents; In the Capital Juba you can literally buy any document, national and international passport, counterfeits, bogus academic certification, sham commodities, spurious medicine, and phony police badges just to mention a few. The poem “what money can buy” is a redundant in South Sudan. You got money contract killing the person you don’t like. You got money take the land of any poor person why for do you have to pay him. You got money drive your car without plate why pay for the lt.

Black and Grey Markets; underground economy which is widely spread and is terribly hurting our local community. The manner in which goods are traded only benefits foreign investors. An example is the way foreign banks operate in South Sudan. Most banks are directly involved in imports and retailing of commodities typically creating Grey markets which distribute commodities illegally and unethically but supported by the government or unintentionally unregulated. The consequences resulting from unregulated banking system are unbearable harmful to long term viable economic of South Sudan and will definitely through more people to new poverty line. So far middle class citizen in South Sudan for working for food or in another ward those who work and are able to afford food are the middle class because food prices quit double since the independence.

The author is a business man in Ohio, USA, and he can be reached at [email protected]