The South Sudan Islamic Council has announced that its members will not go for this year’s Hajj or pilgrimage in Mecca in Saudi Arabia this year because the process has delayed.

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of moral and spiritual significance attached to a particular place. The pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

A member of the South Sudan Islamic Council, Abdallah Deng Nhial, says the number of South Sudanese who were supposed to travel to Mecca is not enough.

Mr. Abdallah says the council does not have enough money to sponsor its members who want to travel to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

:“We are unable to run this pilgrimage process this year, which is 2014 equivalent to Hajj 1435 Hajj Riya. First of all the number is very few, it is twenty six. The other issue is that we went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia very late. We should have gone since Ramadan time, this is a normal procedure. But they delayed the exit visas to the kingdom. The other thing is also the delay of the money of the president donation. The president donated to our council, Muslim council during Ramadan breakfast about two hundred thousand US dollars. We did not receive it until now.”

Mr. Abdallah said the process will not be delayed next year.