Sudanese authorities have deported more than 100 South Sudanese women from Khartoum, separating at least 61 of them from their children, South Sudanese officials said on Sunday.
The women were reportedly detained either on the streets or in their homes in the Sudanese capital before being transferred to detention centres and later deported to the Joda border area, which connects to South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, according to Diing Deng Lueth, commissioner of Renk County.
Lueth, who visited the border area on Saturday, described the deportations as having occurred under poor humanitarian conditions. He said he had ordered the impoundment of the buses used in the operation until the mothers are reunited with their children.
“I call on the Sudanese authorities to respect the humanity of South Sudanese citizens in Sudan, particularly in Khartoum State,” Lueth told Radio Tamazuj.
He accused Khartoum state authorities of violating humanitarian norms and held them responsible for the welfare of the children left behind. Humanitarian organisations are providing emergency assistance to the deported women, and efforts are under way to transport them to the city of Renk, he added.
The deportations come amid Sudan’s enforcement of new immigration policies targeting foreigners. Commissioner Lueth criticised the handling of the operation, calling it “inhumane.”
The move has drawn condemnation from civil society groups in South Sudan.
Solana Jeremiah, head of a civil society network in Upper Nile state, called the deportations “unacceptable.”
“According to international law and human rights principles, deporting women, especially refugees, without their children is not permissible,” he said. “The mother is the pride of the family. If we deport mothers without their children, it’s a serious violation.”
Solana urged both Sudan and South Sudan to coordinate any repatriation in a manner that respects international humanitarian standards and ensures family reunification. He also called on Sudanese authorities to allow the mothers to return to Khartoum to retrieve their children.
Separately, South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba had met with Sudanese Ambassador to South Sudan Issam Mohammed Karrar.
A ministry statement said the two discussed Kumba’s recent visit to Port Sudan and ways to enhance protections for citizens of both countries, though it did not directly address the deportations.
Sudanese officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Tens of thousands of South Sudanese remain in Sudan more than a decade after South Sudan gained independence in 2011. Many face legal uncertainty after becoming foreigners under Sudanese law.