South Sudanese in Khartoum told to remain indoors amid Sudan political crisis

JUBA — South Sudan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Deng Dau Deng, has called on South Sudanese nationals living in Sudan to stay indoors in a bid to avoid getting harm after the military dissolved the government and imposed a state of emergency in Sudan.

Sudan’s military seized power Monday, dissolving the transitional government hours after troops arrested the prime minister.

Thousands of people flooded into the streets to protest the coup that threatens the country’s shaky progress toward democracy.

The takeover comes more than two years after protesters forced the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and just weeks before the military was supposed to hand the leadership of the council that runs the country over to civilians.

“On the issue of our citizens, yes, it is a concern because South Sudanese nationals are living in Sudan and they should observe the advice from the authorities because they live under the laws of Sudan,” Deng told Sudans Post reporter in Juba on Tuesday.

Deng reiterated called for dialogue to return the country to normalcy.

“The situation in Sudan is a concern to us, the people, and the government of the republic of south Sudan and our president has expressed the deepest concern about the situation, and of course we wish the return quickly to the normalcy in the Sudan and Khartoum in particularly,” he said.

“We are very concern, and we asked for the return to normalcy and dialogue and calm so that South Sudan and Sudan can continue to enjoy our previous relation,” he added.

He said the foreign policy of South Sudan does not allow the country to take side with any Sudanese group.

“What is happening in Sudan is an internal matter that South Sudan cannot jump to conclusion and talk about it. It is an internal situation and our foreign policy does not allow us to talk about internal matters of other countries,” he said.

On the flow of oil

The top government official said the flow of oil has not yet been interrupted.

“We are not really worried but we are concerned, the oil will continue to flow because it is a shared, all of the benefits from oil, for Sudan, the oil pass through their territory, there are transitional fees, there is the fee that is being paid and I believe, it improves also the economy of Sudan,” he said.