By Ochaya Jackson
More than 20 South Sudanese nationals, who were stranded in India for the last four months, landed at Juba International Airport on Friday evening 10/07/2020, according to the Indian Ambassador to South Sudan, Subramalial Dakexina Moorthy.
The Ambassador was speaking to the media upon his arrival from India together with the South Sudanese nationals at Juba International Airport. He said among the South Sudanese nationals, some went there for medical purposes, and others were students, both those were on scholarship, and others who went on their own.
“Today I returned to Juba, with me I brought around 26 South Sudanese nationals. They were stranded in India for the last four months, most of them had gone for medical treatment, and some for study purposes.” Most of the students were sent by India for further training purposes; some of them went on their own. “I brought everybody, this is the thing that South Sudan Embassy in Delhi cooperated, regarding the clearance for everybody, they have safely landed here,” Ambassador Moorthy explained.
The students, according to the Ambassador had finished their studies in India. He (the ambassador), said he left Juba for India in March, and stayed there for some months due to the coronavirus lockdown.
This comes as South Sudan relationship with India is getting robust bilaterally every day, since the country got its independence from Sudan in 2011.
“India [and] South Sudan relationship is very fantastic. It is going stronger and stronger all along, since South Sudan got Independence in 2011, since then bilateral relationship has been strengthened every day.”
The Ambassador said India was getting all the cooperation and support from South Sudan. The Indian government is also helping a lot, we are especially concentrating on health and education sector, he said. “We are going to build on security sector, the process is going on, very soon we are going to deliver some COVID-19 related medicine to South Sudan, the process is on,” said the Indian Ambassador to South Sudan.
He added that India is ready to investment in South Sudan, but the stability of the country is very important.
“Economically it is very good you see a lot of things are being imported from India; once the situation is stabilized, we will bring in India business people also. So many Indian business people are very keen to invest in South Sudan for everything, but stability is very important. Once stability returns, automatically Indian business people will come. Indian community is very strong here, they are running hotels and supermarkets. They are doing very good business here,” Moorthy explained.
Besides, one of the stranded South Sudanese nationals, who returned together with the Ambassador, Malish Sadrak Pual, said he was admitted in the department of water resources development and management, for a master program for two years at the Indian Institute of Technology in 2018. He added that he got great knowledge from India and together with line ministries in the country it will be additional force in addressing some of the problems.
On the other hand, Yak Mayel Dak, said he went to India in September, 2019, for kidney transplant in the Indian hospital called Zydus, [Multi Specialist Hospital]. He said everything was fine before COVID-19 and they didn’t feel like they were in a foreign land, saying they were well served and now was fully cured.
On another note, Pastor Louis Angelo for African In-Land Church (AIC), said he went to India in October, 2019, escorting his Mum to the Bangalore hospital for treatment, and stayed for ten months. Adding that all treatment was going well but unfortunately his Mum passed on due to the side effects of the medicine during the week she was supposed to go for final checkup.