The event brought together members of the Indian community, Indian peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and friends of India.

By James Chatim

The Indian embassy in Juba and its community on Friday marked the 79th Independence Day celebration of India.

The event brought together members of the Indian community, Indian peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and friends of India.

Ambassador of India to South Sudan, Anil Nautiyal, hoisted the national flag, followed by the singing of the Indian national anthem as the Indian peacekeepers at the UNMISS gave a salute to the Tiranga.

He read the speech of the President of India, which highlighted India’s achievements and vision for the future.

In his remarks, Ambassador Anil reflected on the past years, detailing the significant work and initiatives undertaken by the Embassy to strengthen bilateral relations and support the Indian diaspora in South Sudan.

“We are deeply committed to fostering the educational and professional growth of South Sudanese citizens. This year, we are proud to have awarded 35 ICCR scholarships to South Sudanese students, giving them the opportunity to study in India,” Anil stated.

“In addition, our ITEC training programs are going strong, with many individuals gaining valuable skills. We also facilitated the training of 10 South Sudanese diplomats in India, helping to build stronger diplomatic ties,” he explained. He also said two distinguished academics from South Sudan will be visiting India for academic and cultural exchanges.

“Parliamentary cooperation. Our democratic institutions are a source of great pride for all of us. In February and July this year, we had the honor of welcoming two teams from the South Sudanese Parliament who visited our Parliament in India for training,” Ambassador Anil said.