ADJUMANI. The police and officials from the Office of the Prime Minister at the weekend intercepted 63 South Sudanese students who were returning back to the troubled South Sudan.
The students said they were returning to sit for their Ordinary Level examinations that were to start today, claiming that they had been contacted by authorities in South Sudan whom they did not name.
Mr Isaac Lubango, one of the students from Romagi Secondary School in Kajo-Keji County, said they were travelling in two trucks from different settlements for the examinations. “We are going for national examinations for Senior Four, which usually take place in March and April. The question of our safety should be for another day because these examinations are very key in shaping our future,” Lubango said.
Mr Titus Jogoo, the OPM area refugee desk officer, said they are questioning the motive behind the travel since they have not received official communication from relevant authorities from the two countries.
“We have ever arranged for South Sudanese students to sit examinations here (in Uganda) upon formal communication from relevant authorities from both countries. But this journey of the students raises a lot of security concerns,” he said.
Early this year, the Adjumani District chairperson, Mr James Leku, said there were South Sudanese spies that have infiltrated the camps but security officials in Uganda were downplaying the information.
He said some of them come to recruit the youth to join rebel activities back in South Sudan, which he said was dangerous for security of the region.
©Alleastafrica and Daily Monitor
