South Sudan ratifies IGAD transhumance protocol

JUBA – South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mayiik Ayii Deng, on Friday signed, on behalf of the government of South Sudan, the IGAD Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance.

The IGAD protocol, adopted on 24 June 2021, aims to promote free movement of persons and improve regular labor migration and mobility in the IGAD region in order to enhance regional economic integration, stability, and development.

Deng said the protocol on the free movement of persons and livestock will boost the economy of the country since it exploits the full social and economic potential of the pastoral system.

“The free movement of persons and livestock will help our economy and will help our country to grow like you see the persons are seasonal, so they are not coming to stay forever,” Deng told journalists during the signing ceremony at the ministry’s premises on Friday in Juba.

Onyoti Adigo Nyikwec, Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries, said the protocol on the free movement of livestock will be guarded by health certificates to avoid the transmission of cattle diseases.

“There is a need for the movement of cattle to be guarded by the certificate because in fact diseases of cattle that can affect humans also,” Adigo said.

“There is a protocol on the movement of humans because in fact people coming to other countries are coming to the host countries and they are free in different countries; there should be a protocol to guard them and facilitate their movement.”

Dr. Mohamed Elduma, Senior Programme Coordinator at IGAD Health and Social Development Division, said the protocols will ease the free movement of people and their livestock within the IGAD region.

“Those two protocols are very important for us for the facilitation of movement of people and transhumance in the IGAD region and we are happy today to have the signature of the Minister of Foreign Affairs on those protocols,” Mohamed said.