South Sudan reacts after Kenya’s travel advisory

South Sudan has expressed disappointment with Kenya’s decision to issue a travel advisory warning against travelling to the Greater Upper Nile region over insecurity.

While insisting that the country is safe for Kenyans, South Sudan ambassador to Kenya Chol Ajongo said that they were not consulted before the advisory.

“Speaking in my capacity, I can assure the Kenyan citizens that South Sudan is safe. We know so many Kenyans doing well in business all over Sudan,” he adds.

“The areas mentioned in the travel advisory is broad. Greater Upper Nile is not that risky,” he told Waihiga Mwaura during an interview on Citizen Extra.

Ajongo insists that “crimes happen anywhere and that if one happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, then unfortunate incidents can be encountered.”

Kenya issued a travel advisory warning its citizens to avoid travelling to parts of the Greater Upper Nile region in South Sudan over insecurity.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all Kenyan nationals living or travelling to South Sudan to move away from and avoid traveling to areas where armed conflicts and inter-ethnic violence have occurred within the last six months.

“This travel advisory applies specifically to parts of the Greater Upper Nile Region and in particular Bieh, Latjoor, Akobo, Jonglei, Northern Liech states and parts of Maiwut, Eastern Nile and Boma states and Yei River State,” reads the statement.

This comes after two Kenyan pilots who were abducted by members of the outlawed Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) returned to the country on Tuesday, February 20.

The two; Captain Frank Njoroge and Co-pilot Kennedy Shamalla were released following month-long negotiations between South Sudan and Kenyan government officials.