South Sudan officially inaugurated its first national Air Traffic Management Control System. Built with the support of the Chinese government, the system enables the country to place its airspace entirely under its own sovereign control. This historic milestone marks the complete end of the nation’s years-long reliance on neighboring Sudan to manage its skies.
Although Africa’s youngest nation gained independence from Sudan in 2011, it lacked its own airspace control infrastructure. Consequently, under a 2016 agreement with the Sudanese government, South Sudan was forced to hand over the management of its skies to Sudanese air traffic controllers.
In a message shared on his social media page, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir proudly announced that, for the first time in its history, the country has built a fully operational, independent airspace management system. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the President stated, “We have finally reclaimed full control over our airspace,” while expressing his gratitude to the Chinese government for its vital role in making the project a success.
Beyond constructing the air traffic control center, this cooperative project successfully trained more than 80 young South Sudanese technical experts under the guidance of Chinese professionals to operate the center’s modern technologies and facilities seamlessly. The President added, “I will ensure that the country develops a framework that ensures that this system works without interruption,” underscoring that “we cannot afford to fail.”
Lacking reliable land transport infrastructure, South Sudan relies heavily on aviation. However, a weak control system has historically caused frequent plane crashes. Earlier this year, a small aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Juba, resulting in the tragic deaths of 14 people.
South Sudan’s Minister of Transport, Rizik Zakaria, stated that this air management system serves as a major testament to the strategic development cooperation between the governments of South Sudan and China.
