Syrians who obtain passports from Sudan ‘breaking the law’
Kuwait says it will not change the citizenship status of Syrians who present newly-acquired Sudanese passports
Kuwait will not change the citizenship status in its official records of Syrians who present newly-acquired Sudanese passports and request the amendment of their nationality.
The decision was taken after Sudanese authorities informed security agencies in Kuwait that several Syrians acquired Sudanese passports by “suspiciously circumventing the law, which poses a threat to national security,” Kuwaiti daily Al Anba reported yesterday, citing security sources.
The Sudanese authorities said they had stopped issuing Sudanese citizenship certificates and passports to non-Sudanese and contacted security agencies in Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to inform them about the matter.
Kuwait’s interior ministry took note of the decision and requested its agencies not to amend the status of any Syrian expatriate who presents a Sudanese passport, the source said.
He added that the Sudanese passports were genuine, but temporary and, according to the authorities in Khartoum, will not be renewed.
The number of Syrians who sought to change their citizenship status to Sudanese in Kuwait was only 10, but it is much higher in other Gulf countries, the source said.
Thousands of Syrians, affected by the war and eager to obtain passports from other countries that would ease suspicions and facilitate their movements, have been applying for foreign citizenships.
According to Sudanese website Enab Baladi, reports emerged in Sudan last year about several cases of Syrians obtaining the Sudanese “business passport” for $10,000 (Dh36,730).