A Sudanese asylum-seeker attempting to flee his war-torn country to the UK was rejected by the Home Office based on outdated information, Metro newspaper reported.
Authorities had used information from 2021, before the outbreak of the civil war, to judge the safety level of the country and make an asylum decision.
There was “not a real risk” to the Sudanese national from “indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict,” a rejection letter said. He would also not “face a real risk of suffering serious harm.”
However, more than 600,000 people have fled Sudan in the wake of violence that broke out in April, which has left hundreds of people dead.
Metro reported that it is unclear how many other Sudanese asylum-seekers have been rejected by the UK based on the outdated information.
A Home Office spokesperson said it would communicate with the Sudanese national to “review his asylum application,” adding: “All asylum applications are considered on their individual merits in line with the asylum rules and the evidence presented.”
Hannah Marwood, Care4Calais legal access manager, said: “With over 5,000 Sudanese asylum-seekers stuck in the government’s legacy backlog, they should be getting on with processing claims and offering them protection given the ongoing conflict in Sudan.”—AN
