By James Chatim

The Sudanese Embassy in Juba has denied the reports about the forceful deportation and imprisonment of South Sudanese in Wad Medani in the Al-Jazeera State.

Addressing a press conference in Juba on Wednesday, Ambassador Issam Mohammed Karrar said reports about the forced deportation and imprisonment were untrue.

He added that when Juba raised concerns over some news that South Sudanese were targeted and killed, a committee was immediately formed by the two heads of state of both countries to investigate the matter.

Ambassador Mohammed highlighted that the government of Sudan treats South Sudanese as citizens and assured that through the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he will provide full information if nationals from South Sudan are imprisoned or deported by force.

“We always don’t like to say South Sudanese refugees who are in Sudan. We say our brothers in South Sudan who are with us in Sudan, they are different from how countries treat us,” Ambassador Mohammed added.

“There were incidents in the state of Al-Jazeera. The information came that the targets were the brothers from South Sudan. There were many incidents in the state. But as I said, a committee was formed. This committee carried out its procedures and it was approved by the two heads of state,” he explained.

“There was a lot of modification of the information; all those who were killed in Al-Jazeera were from South Sudan. This is not true,” he said, vehemently dismissing the claims.

The ambassador said he just heard about the deportation of the refugees and their imprisonment from the journalists, saying it was his first time coming across such news.

“We do not know if South Sudanese are being imprisoned. If this is done, it will have to be investigated and the correct picture presented to the public,” Ambassador Mohammed explained.

Early this year, it was allegedly reported that General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan had ordered the forced deportation of thousands of South Sudanese citizens as part of an escalating crackdown on displaced communities amid the country’s ongoing conflict.

Sources reported that authorities in Port Sudan also detained around 3,000 South Sudanese nationals in Al-Jazeera State and transferred them to the Joda border crossing, which separates Sudan from South Sudan, according to local reports.

However, the Sudanese envoy has come out to deny the claims.