Sudan: United States Embassy advises citizens to exercise caution July 14

Event

The United States Embassy in Khartoum warned citizens that they had advised personnel to avoid unnecessary movements and to stay at home as a precaution on Friday, July 14, in the wake of the announcement that US sanctions on Sudan would not be lifted. The US Embassy in Khartoum will be closed on July 14. Although the embassy stated it is not aware of any planned events, anti-American demonstrations or protests may occur in the coming days. On Thursday, July 13, the party of President Omar al-Bashir announced that it would hold the US responsible for any insecurity in the country after the US sanctions were extended. Although Americans are most specifically affected, other foreigners could be targeted by anti-Western sentiment.

Context

Talks between Washington and Khartoum were suspended on Wednesday, July 12, after US President Donald Trump delayed his decision on whether or not to lift a decades-long trade embargo against Sudan. In January, then-President Barack Obama announced plans to lift the trade embargo on Sudan, provided that Sudan took action to further improve its human rights record and resolve political and military conflicts within 180 days. US officials also announced they would unfreeze Sudanese assets and lift financial sanctions as a response to Khartoum's cooperation in fighting against the Islamic State (IS) and other militant groups.

The security situation in Sudan remains tense. The Darfur region, located in the west of the country, is affected by extremely poor security conditions. Fighting between rebel groups and government forces has been ongoing since 2003. Despite various peace agreements, the number of rebel groups in the region continues to grow, fueling violence and creating one of the most alarming humanitarian crises in the world. Ethnic clashes are also increasingly frequent.

The security situation is similar in the south of the country along the border with South Sudan, where confrontations between SPLM-N rebels - the group that sparked the Sudanese civil war and the subsequent independence of South Sudan - and the government are regularly reported in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

Advice

Many Western governments advise against nonessential travel to Sudan and against all travel to certain regions, including the five Darfur states, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, certain areas of North Kordofan, the Djebel Ouanat region, Dinder National Park, and Sennar state. Due to a high risk of terrorist activity, always be on guard when visiting sites that are potential terrorist targets (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.).