Sudanese stuck in war zone after US destroyed their passports: WP

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The Washington Post (WP) published a report on Wednesday about a new facet of the turmoil in Sudan, one for which the US is responsible.

On May 16, Azim Alhajaa received an e-mail from the US Embassy in Khartoum on May 16, informing him that the passports of his and his family, which were left for visa processing, were "destroyed." 

His wife and children were planning to leave the country and stay with him in Columbus, Ohio, where he lived for five years. Their departure became all the more urgent as violent factions have battled for control in recent weeks, plunging the country into deadly chaos and a humanitarian crisis, according to WP.
 
The US Embassy “tied our hands and put us in hell,” the 59-year-old Sudanese national said. “I feel we are not treated as human beings.”
 
In a statement, the US State Department admitted that diplomats destroyed an unspecified number of passports before being evacuated last month. “It is a standard operating procedure during a drawdown to take precautions to not leave behind any documents, materials, or information that could fall into the wrong hands and be misused,” the email Alhajaa received stated.

The decision sparked anger and fear among some Sudanese at home and abroad. Washington has been accused of recklessly putting people at risk instead of returning documents safely or offering alternatives, according to WP. 

Read next: Conflict in Sudan continues as UN warns of humanitarian crisis
 
In March, Alhajaa's family submitted their passports to the embassy as the final step in a year-long US visa application process. 

WashPo reported that news of their passports being destroyed in April dashed their hopes. What hurt most, he said, was Washington's failure to offer a solution to the mess his family was in. 

The US Embassy was closed on April 15 after fighting broke out between rival generals. Deadly violence and a humanitarian crisis have devastated a country of about 45 million people. Nearly all public services were closed, including Sudan's passport office, which could issue new documents.

#Sudan is plunged into complete chaos one day after clashes broke out between the #Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). pic.twitter.com/C4zxUOWKEJ

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 16, 2023

“The US Embassy evacuated their people and left us to our destiny,” said Ibrahim Mohamed, 27, a software engineer in Khartoum whose passport was destroyed. He was in the application process for a student visa. “They seem like they don’t care about us at all. They are not even responding to our emails or phone calls.”

“I don’t ask for much,” he said. He has been living for weeks without electricity or stable access to food and water. His family members have fled Egypt — but he still cannot. “I just want my passport back or any travel document to travel to a safer place out of the danger zone.”

Even before the recent conflict, embassy services have been limited and overwhelmed since the pandemic. A Sudanese resident in the United States, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his immigration status, said he lobbied on behalf of 10 individuals and families, including members of Congress, who learned their passports had been destroyed.

France destroys Sudanese passports

The French Embassy also destroyed the passports in its custody. A French foreign ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said French diplomats "destroyed all embassy documents containing personal information ... as soon as their integrity could no longer be assured," according to agency records.  This policy is not without precedent. When the Taliban recaptured the country in 2021, US embassy officials in Kabul shredded passports amid chaotic evacuations. 

In the weeks since the international community left Sudan, passports held in Chinese and Spanish embassies were recovered by their owners under various circumstances, according to WP. 

In late May, Sudanese officials at the Chinese embassy, ​​after lobbying higher authorities, were granted permission to set up distribution centers across the city. When the fighting subsided, people came to get back their papers. 

Read next: Fighting escalates in Sudan ahead of ceasefire
 
According to some reports circulating on social media, looters raided the Spanish embassy in Khartoum over the weekend and confiscated passports that could not be immediately verified. It remains unclear who broke into the embassy and what was stolen, according to WP. A Spanish foreign ministry spokesperson who spoke to WashPo on condition of anonymity did not dispute the report.

Alhajjah said he felt the situation in Sudan was deteriorating in recent months and had tried to expedite the application process, but all efforts had failed. "This protocol has no legitimacy," he said. "It's a killing protocol. Now my family is locked up, and there's not 100 percent I can do to help them."