Ambassador Churchill Major General Elia Costa, Director General for Civil Registration, Nationality, and Passport and Ewumbue-Monono, Permanent Representative to AU - Photo credit: courtesy

A delegation from the African Union (AU) visited South Sudan’s Civil Registration, Nationality, and Passport Directorate to explore ways of supporting the country’s transition to a digital identification system.

Speaking during the visit, Maj. Gen. Elia Costa, Director General of the Civil Registration Department, said the AU team discussed several the free movement of people across Africa, particularly within the East African Community and IGAD regions.

He noted the department highlighted its priorities and sought AU support in adopting digital ID systems in line with global trends.

“So, during our discussion, we raised many issues and we discussed them together, and we thank them for their visit and also the request from us on how they can support us, especially in the issue of digital ID,” he said.

Gen. Costa said the delegation is scheduled to travel to the Nimule border between South Sudan and Uganda to assess border operations and determine areas for potential support.

“We know that the world now is moving towards digital ID And ask us to tell them about our priority and they will be going to travel tomorrow to see the Nimule border town which between South Sudan and Uganda and so to name the assessment there how can they help how they can support us so really appreciate their visit to this directory,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Costa expressed gratitude for the AU interest and said both parties plan to hold joint meetings on civil registry and digital identity issues going forward.

For his part, Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Permanent Representative to AU and UNECA – Addis Ababa, said the visit also aims to show solidarity with South Sudan amid the new influx of refugees from Sudan.

He said the AU’s visit was aimed at evaluating South Sudan’s efforts in humanitarian management, migration, and adherence to AU protocols on free movement and border governance.

He said part of the assessment includes data collection and consultations with national authorities and partners to identify challenges and gaps in the humanitarian response and civil documentation systems.

“We are here to assess the efforts that they have been making to address key issues within the management of humanitarian affairs. One of which is the free movement of persons, which is an issue of migration. I want to see exactly the efforts they have been making to adhere to the AU protocol, and also to see practically what is being done on the field,” he said.

“We are here to ensure that we have good information about humanitarian issues, gather appropriate data from the South Sudanese authority, as well as discuss with some of the partners that are here um so that we have a proper understanding of the gaps, challenges,” he added.