Rhino: Agencies – The Criminal Court in the city of Al-Daba, in Sudan’s Northern State, has issued a ruling ordering the deportation of 23 citizens from South Sudan, at a time when fears are mounting among hundreds of southerners residing in the city that they may be deported, following the authorities’ deadline for foreigners to leave the area.
According to information reported by the “Eye Radio in Arabic” page, the 23 citizens were arrested at their homes before the ruling was issued, while people close to them stated that they were not given the opportunity to take their belongings or personal items with them when they were arrested. The Sudanese authorities have not yet announced the charges on which the court based its ruling, nor have they issued any official statement clarifying the details of the case or the date the decision will be enforced.
The ruling coincides with a state of anxiety among hundreds of South Sudanese families residing in the city of Al-Daba, following the announcement by the Committee for the Census and Control of Foreign Presence that foreigners have been given an eight-day deadline to leave the city, amid fears of forced deportations.
A number of citizens said the decision threatens the livelihoods of families who have settled in the area for years, many of whom own homes, property, and businesses, while their children continue to attend school—making it extremely difficult to implement the decision without taking their humanitarian and legal circumstances into account.
For his part, Sultan John Julius said that the authorities had informed South Sudanese citizens that they must leave the city within a week, adding that they were also told not to take their belongings with them upon departure.
Sultan inquired about the fate of the homes and properties owned by South Sudanese citizens in the city of Al-Daba, noting that many of them had purchased their homes before South Sudan’s independence in 2011 and had been residing there legally ever since.
He added that citizens are deeply concerned about losing their property and investments if the decision is implemented without providing legal safeguards or granting them sufficient time to resolve their situations.
