FOI release

Enforced removals to Sudan

We have received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following:  Removals to Sudan were not taking place in…

From:
Home Office
Published
15 July 2010

Details

We have received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following: 

  1. Removals to Sudan were not taking place in January 2008.
    Requests to know when forcible removals to Sudan stopped taking place prior to this date and when forcible removals restarted.
    All the dates between 2006 and 2009 when removals to Sudan were taking place and removals to Sudan were not taking place.

  2. In 2008 the Sudanese Embassy ceased doing interviews in respect of travel documents. Please confirm at what periods between 2006 and 2009, the Sudanese Embassy were conducting interviews for the purpose of granting travel documents, and what dates they were not conducting such interviews.

We released the following information on 15 July 2010:

  1. Enforced removals to Sudan - chronology:

2006 - There was no policy to preclude the enforced return of non-Arab Darfuris to Khartoum.

9 August 2007 - practical difficulties with returns documentation for all Sudanese nationals arose. There was no formal suspension.

3 October 2007 - enforced returns of non-Arab Darfuris suspended pending investigations into a report alleging ill-treatment of non-Arab Darfuris returned to Sudan from the UK.

23 April 2008 - returns of non-Arab Darfuris resumed in principle following completion of UK Border Agency investigation into the allegations of ill-treatment.

9 July 2008 - enforced returns of non-Arab Darfuris suspended pending the outcome of an Asylum and Immigration Tribunal country guidance case.

3 December 2008 - returns documentation difficulties for all Sudanese nationals resolved.

2 November 2009 - suspension of enforced returns for non-Arab Darfuris lifted following a change in operational guidance.

  1. For the period 2006 to 2009 the Sudanese Embassy temporarily ceased conducting interviews (for the purpose of considering travel document applications) from August 2007 until December 2008.
Published 15 July 2010