3.2.1. Freedom of movement

Port Sudan is under the control of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).587 In an interview with EUAA, Elbagir Ahmed Abdullah indicated that there is a 11 p.m. curfew and the city is heavily guarded as it is the seat of the current government and where high-ranking officers live.588 The same source also indicated that 'everyone arriving in Port Sudan is thoroughly checked and need an ID to enter and move around the city. To leave the city, journalists, for example, need a permit from the Intelligence Services. A permit is also required to leave Omdurman'.589

A human rights analyst with deep knowledge of the country, who was interviewed by EUAA, provided the following information on Port Sudan:

The Dutch COI report quoted a confidential source as indicating that 'Sudanese returning by land through SAF territory could be subjected to ethnic profiling. In particular, Arabs from Darfur and Kordofan were at risk of being suspected by the authorities of supporting the RSF, and being treated as such. […] Individuals seeking to pass through checkpoints in the interior were also subject to ethnic profiling’.591 The same source indicated, without providing further information, that racial profiling 'played less of a role at Port Sudan airport'.592  

The UN FFM for the Sudan indicated that individuals, particularly men, who try to flee the country or various locations within the country are subjected to arbitrary detention by armed groups.593 The RSF and Arab militias, for example, reportedly detain men trying to flee El Geneina and other areas in an effort to avoid being killed, and the SAF reportedly unlawfully detain men trying to flee Kordofan to South Sudan.594 According to the above-mentioned human rights analyst, people are not allowed to leave RSF areas.595  

The issuance of travel permits for aid workers experience significant delays, particularly for travel into areas not controlled by the government.596 Also, understaffing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has impacted the issuance of visas for humanitarian personnel.597 According to a human rights analyst interviewed by EUAA, both the SAF and the RSF have permit systems, but since the SAF inherited the state apparatus, the permit system in areas under their control is more sophisticated.598

The USDOS report indicated that after the start of the conflict in April 2023, the migration route crossing through Sudan was disrupted, resulting in fewer migrants transiting the country.599 Additional information within the time reference period could not be found among the sources consulted by EUAA within the time constraints of this report.