Sudan Plans New Visa Procedures for South

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 002745 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL CVIS SU SUBJECT: Sudan Plans New Visa Procedures for South Ref: STATE 187662 ¶1. Consul General Juba (CGJ) delivered reftel demarche on November 20 to Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) Minister in the Office of the President Luka Biong and GoSS Minister for Regional Cooperation Barnaba Benjamin, but modified the text slightly to reflect additional guidance from Embassy Khartoum based on the report that President Bashir had rescinded the travel restriction limiting the movement of Americans in Sudan. (Note: First Vice President/GoSS President Salva Kiir was unavailable. End note). The two ministers said that the restrictions on travel of Americans had already been lifted. CG requested written confirmation of that decision. (Note: The Embassy has still not received an official, written notification of the lifting of the travel restriction from the MFA. As of November 26, visas issued to officials Americans traveling to Sudan were still being annotated to limit travel to a 25-mile radius of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum. End note.) ¶2. The CG also discussed the general problems with visas issuances for travelers to the south, including long delays and non-issuance to both aid workers and foreign government officials. The ministers said they had reached a deal with the Government of National Unity (GNU) to establish special visa-issuance units for southern travelers staffed by the GoSS in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya. This would initially include offices in the respective embassies, but could expand to cover consulates in places like Gulu, Uganda and Lokichoggio, Kenya, as well as at embassies in other countries. ¶3. Finally, CG asked about the plans for the controversial Southern Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) passes. The SSRRC passes were de facto visas issued during the war by the SPLM to areas they controlled. After the war, the GoSS continued to issue these passes in an effort to avoid problems associated with GNU visa delays, despite the fact that doing so contradicts the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). While many governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use these passes to travel to the South, USG employees, contractors, and NGO partners are required to get visas. ¶4. The ministers responded that a compromise was also reached on this issue after extensive meetings between the GoSS, led by Minister of the Interior Paul Mayom, and the GNU. They explained that the SSRRC passes will be phased out, possibly over the next two months. In that time, GNU immigration officers will establish offices in police stations throughout Southern Sudan where holders of SSRRC passes can apply to convert their passes to either residency permits or multiple-entry visas, as appropriate. The ministers emphasized that until the transition period is complete, the GNU agreed to recognize the SSRRC passes as valid documents. CG requested this decision in writing as well. HUME