Safety in Sudan

Armed conflict: Fighting between the army and the rapid support forces is ongoing. Front lines shift quickly, so keep current international news reporting to hand at all times.

Checkpoints: These are on every intercity road. Document checks are routine, but photographing anyone in uniform, any vehicle or any fortification is extremely dangerous.

Darfur: Darfur and the borders with the southern neighbours are closed to visitors because of the kidnapping risk. Don't go, even if you hold every permit on paper.

Drone strikes: These have reached even relatively calm Port Sudan. Stay away from concentrations of military personnel and administrative buildings, which are potential targets.

Crime: Urban crime has grown with the poverty the war has created. Pickpockets in Omdurman's markets are highly skilled, so keep expensive equipment out of sight.

Healthcare: The medical system is in deep crisis and many state hospitals are closed. Carry a supply of antibiotics and infection treatments, since buying them locally is close to impossible.

Advisories: Almost every government advises against all travel to Sudan, which also voids most standard insurance. Read your own government's advice and make sure any policy you buy explicitly covers a conflict zone.

Sudan is in a full-scale civil war. It is one of the largest humanitarian catastrophes of our time, and no government recommends travel there. Most urge their citizens to leave Sudan immediately.

What is happening. Fighting between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces has continued since 2023. Clashes have engulfed Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan and other regions. Cities are shelled and struck from the air, and infrastructure is destroyed.

The scale of the crisis. Millions have been displaced, much of the country faces acute food shortage, and famine conditions have been recorded in some areas. Humanitarian access is restricted.

Practical realities. Khartoum airport does not operate normally, the banking system is paralysed, international cards do not work, and communications and electricity are absent across large areas.

Insurance. No policy covers Sudan.

What follows is written not to plan a trip but to give an honest answer to the safety question.

There is no legal environment in the ordinary sense. Armed formations operate in conflict-affected territory. Judicial guarantees do not function.

Photography. Military installations, armed personnel, checkpoints and strike aftermath are categorically off limits. Detention on espionage accusations is a realistic scenario.

Movement. Roads are closed, checkpoints belong to different forces, and conditions change daily. Independent travel is impossible.

Mines and unexploded ordnance. Areas of fighting are contaminated, and the contamination is growing.

Alcohol. Prohibited.

Antiquities. Sudan holds outstanding archaeological monuments — the pyramids of Meroë and Nubia. Under war conditions they are being looted, and illicit trade is under international scrutiny.

Documents. Movement and photography permits required even in peacetime are not being issued under current conditions.

The healthcare system is destroyed. A large share of hospitals is non-functional or damaged, medical staff have been evacuated or killed, and supply is cut. In areas of fighting there is effectively no medical care.

Epidemics. Against the collapse of infrastructure, outbreaks of cholera, malaria, measles and dengue are recorded. The absence of clean water and the crowding of displaced people make it worse.

Famine. Famine conditions have been recorded in several areas. This affects everything, including the availability of any food.

Water. Unsafe everywhere.

Evacuation. International medical evacuation is effectively impossible: airspace is restricted and insurers do not operate.

Climate. Extremely hot: Khartoum passes 45°C in summer, and haboob dust storms arrive regularly.

Vaccinations. In ordinary circumstances a full set would be required, yellow fever and meningococcus included. Under current conditions the question is not about vaccinations.

Sudan is at war, and law enforcement functions are not exercised across most of the territory.

Who controls the ground. The lines between the sides shift. In some regions, Darfur included, mass violations against the civilian population have been documented.

Foreigners. A target category for kidnapping and detention. International organisations work only in certain areas and under security protocols.

Consular assistance. Most countries evacuated their embassies from Khartoum in 2023. Diplomatic presence is essentially absent and there is nobody to help a citizen.

Port Sudan. The Red Sea coast is relatively less affected and evacuations ran through it. That does not make it a tourist destination.

If you are a citizen currently in the country. Contact your consulate through remote channels, register on tracking systems, and follow organised evacuation corridors.

The honest conclusion: Sudan is an active war zone and no travel there is possible.