NUP Secretary-General barred from leaving Sudan, passport confiscated

Secretary-General of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Sarah Nugdallah, was barred from leaving Sudan for the second time, and her passport was confiscated by agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) at Khartoum airport this week.

Nugdallah was planning to travel to Cairo to see her doctor. The NUP said in a statement that after completing her travel arrangements, Nugdallah was informed that her name was included in the travel ban list after she had loaded her bags on board the flight to Cairo.

The party denounced this arbitrary action by the security services.

In May, Nugdallah was prevented from traveling for the same purpose without giving any explanation.

At the time, the NUP said barring its secretary-general from travelling abroad “is part of the regime's policy of giving the security apparatus a free hand in order to restrict political and civil action and suppress freedoms”, and described the use of travel bans against politicians and activists as a clear violation of the Rule of Law and international covenants.