South Sudan ‘to profit’ from crisis with $10,000 visas

JUBA: International aid agencies on Saturday slammed South Sudan’s decision to raise foreign worker visa fees to as much as $10,000, warning it would worsen a humanitarian crisis in the famine-hit country.

"The government and the army have largely contributed to the humanitarian situation," said Elizabeth Deng of Amnesty International.

"And now, they want to create profit from the crisis they have created."

The government measure, announced on March 2, would increase work permit fees for foreign workers from the $100-$300 range to between $1,000 and $10,000 per year, depending on the qualifications of the worker.

The measure could generate a revenue stream for the crisis-wracked nation, where oil revenues account for the near-totality of government earnings, but aid agencies said it could backfire.

"If this measure is put into practice, it will be impossible for humanitarian workers to pay this kind of sum," said Julien Schopp, director of humanitarian practice at InterAction, which groups 180 NGOs working worldwide.