The South Sudan Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Simon Juach Deng, has asked all South Sudanese nationals living in Uganda to respect the laws by validating their visas to legalise their stay in Uganda.

He made the remarks while addressing the media at the Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan in Uganda on January 6, 2024, following a video clip that circulated on social media pertaining to the 15 South Sudanese students arrested by police in Uganda.

Ambassador Deng refuted the claims, saying that the students were not kidnapped. He added that they were arrested by immigration police at a gym near the International University of East Africa over an illegal stay in Uganda for lack of documents.

H.E. Deng emphasised that they followed up on the matter, and the students were released after presenting the right documents legalising their stay in the country.

“There were people reporting that people of South Sudanese nationality were kidnapped. Nobody was kidnapped. This was an exercise by Ugandan immigration, and all those people were released after they presented their documents,“ Deng stated.

He further noted that South Sudanese lives are not at risk in Uganda. He, however, appealed to the government and the Ugandan authorities to always notify the Embassy before arrests of their citizens are made.

The visa waiver, according to the East African Community (EAC) Charter, offers a 90-day visa period upon entry, and all South Sudanese nationals entering Uganda need to take note and ensure that they request for visa extensions early to avoid being caught in the wrong.