By Yiep Joseph
South Sudan has put on hold an operation aimed at checking the credentials and immigration documents of foreign nationals, pending wider coordination with security and diplomatic authorities.
The Director General of the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport, and Immigration, Lt. Gen. Achol Cyier Rehan, ordered the suspension.
In a statement to the media, Cyier directed police stations and state authorities not to initiate, participate in, or facilitate the exercise until further notice.
The directive further requires the operation to obtain approval from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) before it can proceed.
“Accordingly, all police stations and states are hereby directed to suspend and refrain from initiating, participating in, or facilitating any such or related activities until further directives are issued by the office,” the directive partly read.
The exercise, reportedly referred to as “Silence Search,” is being treated by immigration authorities as a national undertaking that requires greater consultation and coordination before implementation.
In a separate directive to immigration chiefs at stations and in the states, the Directorate said the exercise must involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, foreign embassies, and other relevant institutions.
The move effectively places state-level police and immigration teams on standby, with officers instructed to wait for fresh guidance before conducting searches or checking the documentation of foreign nationals.
The decision also highlights the diplomatic implications of immigration enforcement involving citizens of other countries.
Consultation with embassies is expected to help ensure that any future operation is properly coordinated and does not create unnecessary tensions with foreign missions.
Lt. Gen. Achol did not specify how long the suspension will remain in force or when the operation could resume.
For now, authorities at stations and in the states have been directed to await instructions from the relevant offices.
South Sudan has previously conducted operations to identify foreign nationals living or working in the country without valid documentation.
A similar “silent search” was suspended in 2021, when immigration authorities shifted emphasis toward engaging foreign communities and their leaders to encourage undocumented nationals to regularise their stay.
The latest suspension comes as immigration authorities seek broader coordination before proceeding with the current credential-checking exercise.
South Sudan has periodically carried out immigration enforcement operations to identify foreign nationals whose visas, work permits, or other documents may have expired or are otherwise not in order.
Such exercises require cooperation among immigration authorities, police, state governments, and foreign diplomatic missions.
In previous operations, authorities have also faced calls to ensure that foreign nationals are treated in accordance with the law while allowing those with valid claims to regularise their status.
The latest suspension suggests that officials want broader institutional and diplomatic coordination before proceeding.
It remains unclear when the credential-checking operation will resume or whether its scope will change following the consultations.