MP raises alarm over “ill-treatment” of South Sudanese in Sudan

JUBA – A member of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) has expressed deep concern over what he described as the “ill-treatment” of South Sudanese nationals in conflict-torn Sudan.

Speaking during Thursday’s parliamentary session in Juba, Stephen Bol, an SPLM-IO lawmaker representing Mayom County in Unity State, said South Sudanese citizens were being forcibly deported from Sudan under harsh and alarming conditions.

“People have been partially deported. Children have been left behind. And we are keeping quiet. We are not concerned about the lives of our people in Sudan,” Bol bemoaned.

Bol noted that he had previously raised a motion in October regarding the deteriorating situation of South Sudanese in Sudan, prompting the formation of three parliamentary committees tasked with engaging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on possible support interventions.

However, he stressed that the committees had failed to take any action despite the situation worsening.

“Honourable Speaker, with your permission, I request that this matter be treated as urgent because it concerns the welfare of the people we represent. Otherwise, I rest my case,” he said.

In response, Speaker Dr. Jemma Nunu Kumba reminded the committees of their mandate, urging them to follow up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and report back to the House.

“Honourable Stephen, I believe the committee has listened to what he said. They were supposed to link up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find out what is happening to our people and what actions the ministry is taking. These are their responsibilities. So, committee members, please prepare your report and present it based on the issues raised when the committee was formed,” she said.

Tensions escalated earlier this year when, in March 2025, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ordered the forced deportation of thousands of South Sudanese as part of an intensified crackdown on displaced communities amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict.

According to local reports, military authorities in Port Sudan detained around 3,000 South Sudanese nationals in Al-Jazeera State and transferred them to the Joda border crossing along the Sudan–South Sudan border.

The move has been widely condemned by humanitarian and human rights organizations, which have also denounced an alleged massacre carried out by Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) on January 12 in Al-Jazeera State. Witnesses and rights groups claim soldiers torched villages and killed civilians in what they describe as ethnically and regionally motivated violence targeting the Kanabi community.

The forced expulsions and reports of mass killings come as Sudan remains engulfed in a devastating war between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a conflict that has displaced millions and deepened humanitarian suffering across the region.