North Darfur displaced can’t afford National Number

Any citizen in Tawila locality in North Darfur who has not obtained a ‘National Number’ by the end of 2015 will not be considered Sudanese.

Commissioner Adam Yagoub has issued an order whereby anyone without a ‘national number’ after 31 December will be considered to be without Sudanese nationality and will be denied a travel permit outside the locality.

Omda Mukhtar Bosh, the coordinator of the Tawila camps for the displaced, reported to Radio Dabanga that “while the national Interior Ministry said more than once that the National Number is free of charge, the Tawila authorities imposed a fee of SDG45 ($7.35). This is unaffordable for those who do not have an income.”

The coordinator appealed to the authorities “to reduce the fees, and extend the deadline until all people in the locality have been able to obtain a National Number”.

Civil registry

In May 2011, Sudan began implementing a new civil registry procedure, based on the new 2011 Civil Registry Act. Any Sudanese citizen is obliged to obtain a National Number in order to apply for an identity card or passport.

The National Number is intended to replace the Nationality Certificate, a more commonly held document by people who have concluded secondary school. As secondary school exams require identification, secondary school graduates in Sudan all have Sudanese nationality. Others who never went to school or dropped out, and who do not possess a birth certificate are not considered Sudanese nationals.