By William Madouk
South Sudanese citizens seeking passports face extended delays as the passport printer has reportedly broken down for over a month, worsening an already rising backlog.
The immigration department has also run out of national ID and other passport booklets for nearly four months, implicating more frustration for travellers.
Officials at the immigration department have been informing applicants that the printer is broken down and they must wait longer for their documents.
“Yes, there is a problem with the issuance of passports and nationality certificates because the printer is not working,” an anonymous source from the immigration department explained.
“The German printer has a limited lifespan; if it’s not upgraded, it will stop working”, the source added.
Attempts to reach Maj. Gen. Simon Majur, Director of the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport, and Immigration, for comments were unsuccessful by press time.
On July 25, frustrated citizens stormed the Department of Nationality, Passport, and Immigration, accusing officials of deceiving them about the timely issuance of passports and national identity cards.
A woman, whose child requires urgent medical treatment in Israel, shared her distress after waiting since May for the passport, despite paying all necessary fees.
“My child is ten years old and missed a chance for surgery because of this passport issue. We have been sleeping on the streets, without food or water,” she lamented.
Students have also expressed frustration over the delays, claiming they have missed scholarship opportunities.
“I am not staying in Juba; I came to process my passport. I have been wasting money travelling to Juba for nothing and we are losing scholarships because of the delays,” one student, who wished to remain anonymous.
“We have presented letters from the Ministry of Education and Foreign Affairs showing we need the passport because we have applied for a scholarship but they kept dodging us,” the student added.
In an earlier response, Gen. Simon Majur acknowledged the delays, attributing them to a shortage of passport booklets.
He revealed a backlog that dates back to 2012. He urged citizens to remain patient.
The passport office has faced ongoing scrutiny over delays, largely due to unpaid debts owed to a German printing company.
In 2020, South Sudan halted the issuance of nationality certificates and passports after the company shut down the system due to a cumulative bill of $6.9 million.
The government resumed issuing regular passports and IDs on November 20, 2021, after the Ministry of Finance settled a portion of the debt. However, details about any remaining debts to the company remain unclear.