PH stops OFW deployment to South Sudan

Government has stopped the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to South Sudan while OFWs already in the country can avail of voluntary repatriation.

Early this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) released a public advisory
stating that it has raised the crisis alert level in South Sudan to Alert Level 3 (voluntary repatriation) in light of the deteriorating security situation caused by inter-ethnic violence in the country, as well as for the protection of Filipinos in the area.

Under crisis alert level 3, voluntary repatriation at government’s expense will be offered to Filipinos who wish to leave South Sudan. In coordination with Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), a deployment ban has also been put in place effective immediately. All Filipinos are advised not to travel to South Sudan at this time.

The DFA has instructed the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, which has jurisdiction over South Sudan, to implement the voluntary repatriation program.

There are 150 Filipinos in South Sudan, mostly in construction companies, with the United Nations (UN) and in non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The embassy is also dispatching a consular/assistance to nationals (ATN) mission to South Sudan to further validate its contingency plan and to provide assistance to Filipinos who wish to leave.

The embassy said the area of violence is confined to villages in the border area between Sudan and South Sudan. The latter recently won its independence from the former in July 2011.