20/04/2025
Is This a Foreign Mission or a Power Play? A Closer Look at the U.S. Delegation by South Sudan
Salva Aleu Wol
Yesterday's press release from the Office of the Vice President (Economic Cluster) announcing a high-level delegation to Washington, D.C. to discuss deportation and bilateral cooperation has raised more questions than answers. Yes, it's commendable that South Sudan is taking steps to protect its nationals abroad, but how, who, and where of this announcement deserve scrutiny.
Let’s start with the basics: Where is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? This is the office constitutionally mandated to manage foreign relations and international diplomacy. And what about the Office of the President? Since when did the Vice President specifically of the Economic Cluster start issuing foreign policy statements and dispatching international delegations? Is this a new era of "decentralized diplomacy"? Or are we witnessing the early signs of a succession plan in motion?
Now, let’s talk about the composition of the delegation.
- Finance Minister.
- Governor of the Bank of South Sudan.
- Director of Immigration.
No Foreign Affairs. No Legal Counsel. No representation from the President’s Office.
Are we flying into Washington to negotiate or to transact? The presence of financial heavyweights raises the question, is this about repatriation or reputation management through a financial lens? Is the goal to lobby or to lubricate? That’s a line the public deserves clarity on.
South Sudanese citizens are watching. Many have been silenced, but we refuse to blink while responsibilities are grabbed under our noses and foreign policy becomes a chessboard for domestic power struggles.
It’s time to ask the hard questions:
Let’s get serious about leadership before foreign partners start asking: Who actually runs this government?
Bäk näng good day!
Happy Sunday 🙏
