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Executive Protection in Khartoum

Executive protection context for Khartoum, Sudan. Active civil war since April 2023. FCDO Level 4. Remote risk assessment and re-engagement planning available.

Contact us for remote risk assessment and Sudan re-engagement planning.

Executive protection in Khartoum is not a deployable programme under current conditions; Sudan’s civil war and the FCDO’s advise-against-all-travel rating rule out routine executive movement. This page covers what a duty-of-care programme actually looks like here: remote risk assessment, continuous situation monitoring, and a documented decision framework for whether any Sudan-linked travel is undertaken at all. Where interests persist, planning is built around Port Sudan and confirmed evacuation arrangements, not a standard itinerary.

Remote risk assessment, situation monitoring, and re-engagement planning for Sudan are available from Cairo and other regional bases. EP support for Port Sudan can be assessed on request. For the full Sudan security context, see our Khartoum city briefing and security drivers in Khartoum for transport security context.

For short-term, single-principal cover tied to one visit, see bodyguard hire in Khartoum. For the operators who staff the programme and how they are vetted, see close protection officers in Khartoum.

What this covers

Operational detail for Khartoum

Current Situation: Active Civil War

Sudan has been in active civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023. Khartoum has been a primary theatre of conflict, with heavy urban fighting, mass displacement of the population, and destruction of civilian and commercial infrastructure throughout the city. FCDO advises against all travel to Sudan, and the US State Department classifies Sudan at Level 4 (Do Not Travel) as of 2026. Standard EP services in Khartoum are not available under current conditions. Source: FCDO Sudan travel advice (2026); US State Dept Sudan Level 4 advisory (2026).

No Standard EP Capability in Khartoum

The civil war has effectively ended standard commercial EP operations in Khartoum. The city's infrastructure including hotels, commercial offices, and transport networks has been severely damaged. Most international organisations, diplomatic missions, and commercial operations evacuated from Khartoum in 2023. International EP operators with permanent Khartoum capacity do not exist in the current environment. Any future EP engagement in Khartoum would require complete mission-specific planning from the ground up.

Remote Risk Assessment for Sudan

For organisations with assets, staff, or interests in Sudan, remote risk assessment and situation monitoring are available from regional operational bases. This covers current SAF-RSF conflict lines in Khartoum and other cities, threat to specific asset locations, and assessment of the humanitarian and commercial conditions in accessible areas. Remote assessment is the appropriate Sudan engagement model under current conditions and can inform re-engagement planning when the situation eventually permits.

Port Sudan Operations

Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast has served as a relative haven and interim government seat for the transitional Sovereignty Council during the conflict. Limited diplomatic, humanitarian, and commercial activity continues through Port Sudan. EP support for essential Port Sudan engagements can be assessed on request; Port Sudan carries a different and lower risk profile than Khartoum under current conditions. Aviation access to Sudan routes through Port Sudan International Airport (PSD).

Re-engagement Planning

Organisations that operated EP programmes in Khartoum before April 2023 can receive support for re-engagement planning: review of the pre-conflict EP framework against post-conflict realities, assessment of infrastructure and security actor changes in the city, identification of local partner operators with continuing Sudan presence, and outline EP frameworks for when conditions allow principal presence in Khartoum to resume.

Pre-Conflict EP Context

Before April 2023, Khartoum was a high-risk capital with active EP requirements: significant oil industry presence, international NGO and development finance operations, and a complex political environment following the 2019 revolution that removed Omar al-Bashir. This context is provided as background for organisations planning future return. The EP environment that existed before April 2023 will require complete reassessment when principal presence in Khartoum eventually becomes viable again.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Standard commercial EP in Khartoum is not available under current conditions. Sudan has been in active civil war since April 2023, with Khartoum as a primary conflict theatre. FCDO advises against all travel to Sudan, and the US State Department classifies Sudan at Level 4 (Do Not Travel). For essential humanitarian or diplomatic missions to accessible parts of Sudan (Port Sudan), specialist conflict-environment EP can be assessed case by case. Source: FCDO Sudan travel advice (2026); US State Dept Sudan Level 4 advisory (2026).

International EP operators, alongside most international organisations, commercial companies, and diplomatic missions, evacuated from Khartoum in April and May 2023 as the civil war began. Mass civilian displacement followed. The infrastructure that supports commercial EP – hotels, secure compounds, reliable communications, vetted local networks – has been severely disrupted or destroyed in Khartoum. EP capability in Khartoum must be rebuilt from the ground up when conditions permit re-engagement.

Remote risk assessment, situation monitoring, and re-engagement planning are available from regional bases. For essential missions to Port Sudan, EP support can be assessed case by case. Organisations seeking to maintain Sudan operational knowledge for future return can access ongoing monitoring reports covering conflict developments, access conditions, and the evolving security actor landscape.

Cairo is the primary regional hub for Sudan monitoring, given Egypt’s shared border, the concentration of Sudan diaspora commercial and diplomatic activity in Cairo, and direct or connecting routes to Port Sudan. Nairobi and Addis Ababa are secondary bases used by humanitarian organisations managing Sudan-related operations. For Port Sudan EP engagements, operators with Red Sea and Gulf of Aden experience provide the most relevant capability.
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