COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: June 2025
The analysis below is based on the following EUAA COI report: Country Focus 2025, 3.2..Country Guidance should not be referred to as a source of COI.
If the criterion of ‘safety’ is satisfied, as a next step, it has to be established whether an applicant can safely and legally travel and gain admittance in the suggested IPA location. It should be noted that, in the context of Sudan, the three requirements cannot be clearly differentiated.
Port Sudan has an international airport in its proximity, and it has been reported that international flights from Arab countries to Port Sudan are available. Port Sudan, including the airport area, both under the control of SAF, are characterised by relative stability compared to other conflict affected areas. However, still some security concerns persist. Even though one source indicated that social profiling 'played less of a role at Port Sudan airport', individuals seeking to pass through checkpoints were subject to ethnic profiling. Specific information on the checkpoints in Port Sudan were not available, however it has been reported that in Sudan, in some cases, people were harassed, robbed, threatened, arrested or subjected to enforced disappearance when passing through checkpoints. In particular, Arabs from Darfur and the Kordofans were at risk of being suspected by the authorities of supporting the RSF and being treated as such at checkpoints.
Some legal and administrative obstacles may prevent the applicant from travelling to Port Sudan. While civil documentation services, including passport issuance, have been relocated to Port Sudan, obtaining new identity documents remains challenging. Although passports can still be applied for in SAF-controlled states and at Sudanese embassies abroad, the process takes over two months, creating delays and barriers for individuals without valid travel documents. Despite the 11:00 p.m. curfew and heavy security presence in Port Sudan, there are no formal travel restrictions for Sudanese nationals with proper documentation. However, IDs are required to move around the city.
As mentioned above, Port Sudan is controlled by the SAF and ID documentation is needed to enter and move around the city. Ethnic profiling at checkpoints controlled by the SAF has also been reported. Reports further indicate that Sudanese returnees, particularly those suspected of RSF affiliations or originating from RSF-controlled areas face risks of interrogation and detention upon arrival.
The profile and individual circumstances of the applicant should be taken into account in this regard. The existence and/or possibility to issue relevant identification documents, the ethnic origin and perceived links with the RSF should be given due consideration. For individuals who would return to Sudan without identity documents or without security clearance or status settlement in place prior to travelling, these requirements would not be satisfied.
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