Gov’t says Ethiopia agrees to continue hosting South Sudanese students amid coronavirus crisis
File: South Sudan Minister of Higher Education Science & Technology, Denay Jock Chagor | Credit | Facebook
March 31, 2020 (SSNN) – South Sudan government said on Monday that neighbouring Ethiopia has agreed to host South Sudanese students who – among other international students – were asked to leave the country over the crisis imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week, students in Ethiopia said they had been asked to leave the country by the Ethiopian government over the pandemic. They said their counterparts from other countries had been evacuated by their respective governments and that they were worried about their fate.
In an interview quoted by Radio Tamazuj on Monday, South Sudan’s Minister of Education, Science & Technology said the government has agreed with its Ethiopian counterpart to continue hosting South Sudanese students there despite the coronavirus pandemic.
“I spoke with the Ethiopian minister for Higher Education and the Education minister and they have allowed our students to be there. The government of South Sudan will take care of their feeding and they will be allowed to stay in their campuses,” the minister said.
Last week, South Sudan’s High-level Taskforce allocated $3 million support to its students studying in different foreign countries on government scholarship. Chagor said the students in Ethiopia had been given their share of the $3 million.
“We are very happy with the cooperation from the Ethiopian government,” he said.
However, South Sudanese students in Egypt, Malaysia, Turkey, China, Indonesia and Morocco said in a statement extended to Nyamilepedia on Tuesday that they were still not served with the money.
While expressing their happiness over the government decision to allocate the money, they urged the government to expedite the process of releasing the money as situation in those countries over the pandemic escalate.
COVID-19-free
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has remained free of the novel coronavirus also known as COVID-19. The government said around 18 suspected cases tested since last month has come back negative.
Neighboring countries like Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya and Uganda have reported dozens of cases. The government have imposed several preventive measures including but not limited to curfew and banned of social gatherings.
The country which has been in a bloody civil war since December 2013 has also shut down its airports to international flights. Exception was made for humanitarian flights carrying food and medication to the country.
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