JUBA – South Sudan’s Council of Ministers on Friday approved a new framework to manage deported and returning citizens entering the country through official border points, while also endorsing a national labour migration policy aimed at protecting migrant workers and improving labour mobility.
The decisions were made during the weekly Cabinet meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, according to a statement from the Office of the President.
Interior Minister Aleu Ayieny Aleu presented a memorandum outlining a comprehensive system for the reception, hosting, transit and exit of South Sudanese deportees and returnees, as well as foreign nationals requiring humanitarian, legal and logistical support.
According to the government, the framework establishes coordinated procedures for receiving deportees at official entry points and temporary transit centres, improving statistical data collection, providing temporary accommodation and strengthening coordination among relevant state institutions.
The Cabinet’s approval comes as South Sudan continues to receive deported citizens and returnees from neighbouring countries and overseas, many of whom arrive without adequate documentation, financial resources or access to immediate humanitarian assistance.
The presidency said the absence of a coordinated reception system has often resulted in delays at border entry points, inadequate shelter, limited healthcare services and weak reintegration support for returnees.
Officials said the new framework is intended to address those shortcomings by improving coordination among government agencies responsible for migration management and humanitarian response.
The Cabinet also endorsed the National Labour Migration Policy after Labour Minister Anthony Lino Makana presented the document for consideration.
According to the government, the policy seeks to promote safe, orderly and well-managed labour migration while strengthening oversight of labour migration processes. It also aims to increase the economic benefits of migration through skills transfer and to protect the rights and welfare of South Sudanese migrant workers and their families.
Although the presidency did not provide details on implementation timelines, the policy seeks to guide the government’s approach to labour migration at a time when many South Sudanese seek employment opportunities abroad.
Separately, the Ministerial High-Level Committee on Economic Reforms briefed the Cabinet on progress made since its establishment, reporting what it described as significant improvements in non-oil revenue collection.
The committee attributed the gains to ongoing reforms in revenue mobilisation and public financial management, though no revenue figures were disclosed during the briefing.
Concluding the meeting, the Cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening migration management, protecting South Sudanese citizens abroad, promoting safe labour mobility and expanding government revenue sources beyond the country’s oil-dependent economy.
