Visa Requirements
You should obtain a visa before travelling.

Passports must have a minimum of six months validity from the date of arrival for travellers to Sudan.

If you have a flight out of Sudan, you should note exit visa requirements.

If you do not hold diplomatic passport you are required to register with the Aliens Department within three days of your arrival in the country (1 passport size photo is needed and the fee is the Dinar equivalent of around £15). Once registered, you are not required to obtain an exit visa to leave the country.

Driving (Left/Right)
Right

Road Safety
You are at risk of involvement in traffic accidents when using public transport, as many vehicles are unsafe.

The driving conditions and standards in Sudan are below those in the European countries. Only major roads are metalled. Residential areas usually have unsurfaced roads. At night, there is generally no street lighting and many vehicles have no lights. Roads are used by pedestrians, donkey-carts and rickshaws, as well as motor vehicles.

Outside Khartoum, some major routes between towns have good roads. Off the beaten track, roads may consist of a rough track and in many areas, not even that. Any journeys not following a major route or road should include a local guide with experience of the area. Many areas south of Khartoum become inaccessible by road during the rainy season from July to October. The wadis (dry riverbeds) are subject to dangerous flash floods and many are not passable during the rains unless travelling on a major road.

Although drivers need a licence and insurance, many do not have these. You should ensure that you obtain adequate insurance, preferably including a premium for "blood money" in case of involvement in an accident involving a third party. You can obtain local driving licences from the police.

There are no restrictions on women driving in Sudan and both men and women can obtain local driving licences, upon production of a full driving licence, from the local authorities.

Sudanese law prohibits the use of mobile phones whilst driving.

Air Safety
Although international flights conform to international safety standards, you should be aware that the same assurances cannot be made for internal flights operated by national airlines.

The EU has published a list of air carriers that are subject to an operating ban or restrictions within the community. You should check the following link to see whether this will affect your travel: http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/safety/flywell_en.htm

You should ensure that onward or return flights are reconfirmed with the airline at least 72 hours before departure.

Sea/River Safety
Mariners should be aware that incidents of piracy have been reported in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and are advised to exercise vigilance and seek local advice.

Local Travel
The Wadi Halfa border crossing between Egypt and Sudan is open. There is a weekly steamer between Aswan High Dam and Wadi Halfa with a connecting train to/from Khartoum. You should not attempt to cross any other land borders, whether or not at official crossing points. Landmines pose a threat in rural areas in many parts of the country.

Desert travel within Sudan should be attempted only if you are fully equipped and experienced.

Permits, obtained locally, are required for all travel to many destinations outside Khartoum.

Please note the following specific localised warnings if you intend to travel to the following areas:

Darfur
We advise against all but essential travel to Darfur. The security situation in Darfur remains unstable. Fighting continues and lawlessness and banditry is widespread. In recent weeks there has been particularly heavy fighting in West Darfur, exacerbated by the presence of rebel groups from Chad. There are reports that fighting between Chadian troops and Chadian rebels is currently taking place in Eastern Chad near to the border with Darfur, as well as around the Chadian capital, N’Djamena.

The UN strengthened their security advice and evacuated non-essential staff from West Darfur. Overnight curfews are routinely imposed throughout Darfur. On 6 January one African Union monitor was killed and a further 10 injured in an attack on their convoy in West Darfur. This followed an attack on 8 October 2005, in which four African Union personnel and two PAE national staff were killed in an attack on their convoy.

There have been a number of instances of attacks on and detention of humanitarian workers and clearly identified humanitarian vehicles throughout Darfur. There are almost daily reports of attacks, looting and detention of humanitarian convoys and premises, and a number of aid workers have been attacked killed.

NGO workers should ensure that they have co-ordinated their movements with UN Security and ensure that all necessary parties have been notified. We strongly advise against travel at night or away from significant population centres.

Eastern Sudan
In June 2005, there were significant outbreaks of violence by rebel militia against the Government in eastern Sudan just north of the Eritrean border. Militias and troops remain in Eastern Sudan and the area is still tense with a risk of further violence. In late January 2005, Port Sudan witnessed violent clashes between police and supporters of the Beja Congress in which 19 people were killed.

Eritrean and Sudanese military forces face each other on the eastern border. The situation is very tense and could deteriorate extremely rapidly. We advise against all travel to the Eritrean border, and against all but essential travel to the town of Kassala. On 4 May 2005, two Sudanese aid workers were killed near Kassala when their vehicle was attacked.

Southern Sudan
We advise against all travel south of Juba in Central and Eastern Equatoria, and against all travel in West Equatoria within 40km of the DRC border. There have been a number of recent attacks against international in this area. On 16 March 2006 gunmen attacked a UNHCR office in Yei, killing one person and injuring a further two and on 18 March 2006 a group attacked UN offices in Yambio. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) are thought to be responsible for separate attacks since October 2005 against vehicles containing aid workers in Equatoria in southern Sudan and northern Uganda, and sporadic attacks against civilians continue. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of at least five people, including one British national and a number of other serious injuries. In November 2005 diplomatic missions in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, saw an extract from a letter, purporting to be from the LRA, which threatens to kill any ‘white person’ moving in the region. If you are currently in the region you should exercise extreme caution, think carefully about your security and whether you need to remain. Some of the recent attacks have taken place in daylight hours and close to population centres.

We continue to advise against all but essential travel to other parts of southern Sudan. Generally, the situation on the ground in southern Sudan is volatile. Lawlessness remains a problem and there have been several recent reports of attacks on NGO and UN staff in Rumbek. A curfew is in place in Rumbek from 20:00 - 06:00.

Travel in the south is not straightforward, particularly during the rainy season (from July to October). If you do need to travel in Southern Sudan, we strongly advise against travel at night and outside major population centres.

Upper Nile State
The situation in Upper Nile remains tense as the SPLM begin to establish the new State Government. You should avoid all but essential travel to the area for the time being.

Unity State
Small-scale military clashes between rival militias have been reported from Bentiu and Ribkona. We advise against all but essential travel to this area for the time being.

Nuba Mountains
The Nuba Mountains have been subject to a cease-fire since 2002, and this has been incorporated into the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. International personnel have participated in a peace-monitoring mission since 2002 (which has now been taken over by the UN), and the cease-fire has largely been upheld. On occasions, unofficial visitors to the Nuba Mountains area have been arrested and held in detention.

Natural Disasters

Sudan suffers from both drought and flash flooding. If you are planning to travel overland to remote areas, flooding can make areas inaccessible by road.

Health

We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. This should include cover for medical evacuation by air ambulance. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to Sudan. Many diseases are present in Sudan for which vaccinations are recommended.

Diseases
It is advisable to be up to date with immunisations against Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis A and B, Meningitis, Typhoid and Yellow fever for travel to Sudan. Malaria medication advice should also be sought before travelling. Water and food-borne diseases can be prevalent and include Salmonella, Typhoid, Shigella, Giardia, Hepatitis A and Amoebiasis. AIDS is believed to be a growing problem.

As of March 2006, the World Health Organisation reported an outbreak of cholera in Southern Sudan, principally around Juba, Malakal, Bor, Torit andYei. On 5 April 2006 the WHO reported over 9,907 cases and 256 deaths.

Since mid-2005 the WHO has reported cases of meningitis in West Darfur, Gedaref State, Bhar el Ghazal State, Unity State, Blue Nile State and Khartoum State. You should be immunised against meningitis if you plan to visit the area, taking into account that outbreaks of meningitis are also recurrent elsewhere in Sudan.

Avian Influenza
In April 2006, local health authorities confirmed the deaths of poultry from Avian Influenza (also known as Bird Flu) in a series of separate outbreaks near Khartoum, in central Sudan. No confirmed human infections or deaths have been reported. The risk to humans from Avian Influenza is believed to be very low. As a precaution, you should avoid visiting live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where you may come into close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds; and ensure poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked.

Medical supplies and facilities
As a general rule, hospital facilities in Khartoum are adequate but the hospitals are not suitable for elective problems and only suitable for stabilisation of serious medical problems prior to evacuation.

Landmines

Antipersonnel mines were used extensively in Sudan’s two decades of civil conflict with the SPLM/A in southern Sudan, and in the three so-called conflict areas in northern Sudan (the Nuba Mountains, Abyei and Blue Nile). Mines were also allegedly used in recent years along Sudan’s borders with Chad, Eritrea, Libya and Uganda.

Available information indicates that the south generally faces a larger problem than the north, and that landmines are in general a lesser problem than ERW (comprising abandoned ordnance – AXO, and unexploded ordnance – UXO) both in the south and north. However, road access in both parts of the country is hampered by the suspected presence of mines.

The southern part of Sudan where most of the fighting between GOS and SPLA took place is believed to be the center of mine and ERW contamination. Rather, potentially important areas, such as bridges or water wells, are believed to be contaminated with landmines. However, the biggest problem in the south is the large amount of AXO and UXO that are found in or near populated areas, on the edges of roads, and around abandoned camps and garrisons.

In general, the north is not heavily affected by landmines. Areas suspected to be mined border the separation line between GOS and SPLM/A forces, which is located south of the Blue Nile and in Kordofan region.

Darfur region is affected by UXO more than by mines, although mine incidents causing severe casualties to aid workers were reported in 2004.

There is continued military activity on the southern Sudanese border with Uganda, primarily by rebels of the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA has engaged in attacks on southern Sudanese civilians inside Sudan, driving thousands of them to take refuge in Uganda in 2005. The LRA is a known user of landmines.

Mines and ERW affect the following states in particular: Western Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Bahr Al-Jabal, Bahr Al-Ghazal, Lakes, Jonglei, Upper Nile, South/West Kordofan, Blue Nile and Kassala. In addition, the country’s borders with Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and Uganda are considered affected by mines.