What to do if someone dies in Sudan

Sudan has been in civil war since April 2023. The British Embassy in Khartoum suspended all operations and was evacuated. Khartoum International Airport is non-operational. Standard repatriation procedures do not apply across most of the country.

This guide describes what is currently possible. Families must understand that repatriation from active conflict areas may not be achievable, and that any expectation of a standard timeline is not realistic.

The single most important first step

Call the FCDO Emergency Travel Line: 020 7008 5000. This line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There is no British consular presence in Sudan. All consular support comes through FCDO London. The FCDO can advise on current conditions in the specific area where the death occurred and can refer to any specialist firms currently operating in reachable areas of Sudan.

Do not travel to Sudan. FCDO advises against all travel to the entire country.

Why the situation is categorically different from pre-2023

Before April 2023, Sudan was a challenging but functional repatriation destination. The British Embassy was present in Khartoum and Khartoum Airport was operational. Since the outbreak of fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF):

• British Embassy Khartoum: Evacuated. All operations suspended. No staff in Sudan.
• Khartoum Airport: Damaged during fighting. Non-operational. No commercial flights.
• Authority structure: SAF and RSF control different territories. The authority relevant to any given death depends on which force controls that area.
• Port Sudan: Currently the only functional international airport, under SAF control, with limited scheduled service to Cairo, Doha, and Jeddah.
• Darfur: Mass atrocities ongoing. Bodies in large parts of Darfur are not recoverable through any civilian process.

Where repatriation may be possible

Repatriation is potentially achievable for cases in areas:

• Within reach of Port Sudan (Red Sea coast, eastern Sudan under SAF control)
• Along the Nile corridor between Khartoum North and Atbara (variable SAF control)
• Near functional border crossings with Egypt or Ethiopia

In these areas, a specialist firm with active Sudan contacts may be able to coordinate body preservation, documentation from whatever civil authorities are functioning locally, and export via Port Sudan.

Where repatriation is not currently possible

Khartoum and its suburbs are in active combat and have been heavily damaged. Bodies in Khartoum may remain inaccessible for extended periods.

Darfur — El Fasher, El Geneina, Nyala — is under mass atrocity conditions. Body recovery is not achievable through any standard process.

North Kordofan and South Kordofan are active conflict zones. Blue Nile state has ongoing fighting. Bodies in these areas are not recoverable through standard civilian channels.

What specialist firms can attempt

A very small number of firms have networks in conflict-affected Sudan. Their realistic capability:

• Contact via local agents in accessible areas to confirm location of remains
• Coordinate preservation and holding where a functional mortuary can be reached
• Work with Egyptian or Gulf contacts to establish cargo routing via Port Sudan
• Maintain dialogue with FCDO London throughout

They cannot guarantee outcomes, and they cannot operate in active combat zones.

Documentation when accessible

What to tell the family

Be direct. In many cases, immediate repatriation from Sudan is not possible. The priority — if remains are accessible — is preservation and secure holding while conditions are assessed. Families should not make decisions about UK funeral arrangements until a realistic assessment of what is achievable has been made.

The FCDO will provide a current assessment. A specialist firm can give an operational view of what is possible given current area conditions.

Sources: UK FCDO Sudan travel advice (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sudan, updated 2024); UN OCHA Sudan humanitarian situation reports; Sudan conflict monitoring, April 2023 onwards.