India to train 30 South Sudanese diplomats, female defence officers

Thirty young diplomats of South Sudan will from May 17-27 undergo a special training program at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Services (SSIFS) in New Delhi, India.

India’s Ambassador to South Sudan, Vishnu Kumar Sharma, in a statement to newsrooms, said the special training program is a manifestation of long-standing cooperation between the two countries under the spirit of South-South Cooperation.

India will also train four female South Sudanese Defence officers who have been selected for training at an Indian military officers’ training academy later this year.

India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Hon’ble Muraleedharan is expected to visit South Sudan in October.

“Stressing the need for capacity building in the new nation, over a thousand South Sudanese have been sponsored under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme by Indian Council for Cultural Relations for higher studies in India,” read the statement.

This is done in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs of South Sudan.

Topmost Indian experts in the relevant fields are invited by SSIFS for lectures or training  of foreign diplomats.

India has had a close collaboration with South Sudan.

Among the ongoing projects funded by the Government of India include a borehole at the Mangalla IDPs Camp and an artificial limbs fitment camp at the Juba Medical and Referral Hospital.