People line up at the department of nationality, passport, and immigration in Juba. (Courtesy).

Newly appointed Director General of Immigration, Civil Registry, Nationality, and Passport, Maj. Gen. Elia Costa said the institution’s employees need workshops to familiarize themselves with all the 64 tribes of South Sudan.

Gen. Costa said many of the officers do not know all the tribes and their geographical locations in the country.

He added that people from some tribes often complain about some difficulty when applying for national identity cards or passports.

Speaking during his reception ceremony in Juba on Monday, Gen. Costa said his priority will be to ease the institution’s work.

“There are things at the administration of passport here that need to be reviewed, and one of them is what the Azande community mentioned earlier, that’s the issue of 64 tribes of South Sudan,” he said.

“As an officer here, you should know all the tribes in South Sudan, their states and counties, so that when someone comes to you and say I’m from X tribe, you should immediately know, where the tribe is located, this is our collective responsibility.”

“This will be the first priority I will start with, I will conduct a workshop to teach you about all the tribes in South Sudan, so that when you execute your duties you work while knowing who you are dealing with.”

The Immigration, Civil Registry, Nationality, and Passport, has more than 4,000 staff.