Khartoum: President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC), Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, convened with the Director-General of the Police Forces, General Khalid Hassan Mohi-Eddin. The meeting, also attended by the Director of the General Directorate of Passports and Immigration, Maj. Gen. Osman Mohamed Al-Hassan Dinkawi, addressed the current security landscape, police efforts to maintain stability, and the reinstatement of services in areas liberated from militia control.
According to Sudan News Agency, Maj. Gen. Dinkawi emphasized the professionalism of the General Directorate of Passports and Immigration in processing travel documents and identification papers for citizens, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. He highlighted the department’s initiatives to issue identity documents amid ongoing conflicts, dispatching teams to provide passports in various states and Sudanese embassies overseas.
Maj. Gen. Dinkawi noted that safe zones, including ci
ties like Al-Obied, Al-Nohud, and El-Fashir, have been covered for issuing identity documents. He stated that all individuals with a national number are entitled to a passport, irrespective of political stance, unless legally restricted by competent authorities.
He elaborated on the legal framework prior to 2020, which permitted passport issuance as an identity document irrespective of travel bans. However, a 2020 amendment during the Hamdok government stipulated that banned individuals could not receive a passport as a travel document, although it could still serve as an identity document. Maj. Gen. Dinkawi suggested that if the ban solely affects passport issuance, regulatory amendments should allow citizens to obtain identification papers, including passports, even when bans are active at designated ports.