Canada’s foreign ministry has stated it is “temporarily” stopping its mission in South Sudan, which a former ambassador in Juba called a “roundabout way of saying the embassy is closing.”
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) told The Hill Times on August 8 that the Canadian Embassy in South Sudan is “temporarily suspending operations” when asked about the future of the mission. After the newspaper asked about this, the embassy’s website was updated to say that activities were being suspended.
However, GAC did not explain why the operations were being paused, and a follow-up question was not answered right away. Nicholas Coghlan, who was Canada’s first resident ambassador in South Sudan, said, “Unless you say it’s because of a security situation or some conditions, it’s a slightly roundabout way of saying the embassy is closing.”
GAC mentioned that from July 13, the responsibility for consular services was handed over to the Canadian mission in Ethiopia. A spokesperson for the department, Samantha Lafleur, said in an email that the management of Canada’s relationship with South Sudan and other political and economic responsibilities will transfer to the Embassy of Canada in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in August 2026.
