WanderSafe — LGBTQ+ Travel Safety

Khartoum, Sudan

High Risk

Sudan criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual activity under its Criminal Act; a July 2020 reform removed the death penalty for sodomy (liwat) but retained criminalization, with penalties of up to five years for a first offense and life imprisonment on a third conviction, so same-sex conduct remains a serious crime for citizens and foreign nationals alike. There is no legal gender recognition and no anti-discrimination protection, and the same 2020 reforms repealed the apostasy death penalty and public-order flogging, yet religious-minority and convert risk persists amid an Islam-dominant legal tradition and a stalled democratic transition. Most importantly, Sudan has been engulfed in an active civil war since April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF); Khartoum was a primary battleground, much of the capital has been devastated, and emergency, health, and civil infrastructure have collapsed. The US State Department maintains a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory and has suspended embassy operations and evacuated personnel. There is no visible LGBTQ+ community, no Pride, no openly operating local LGBTQ+ or HIV organizations, and travelers must rely entirely on international resources contacted from outside the country.

HIGH RISK DESTINATION

Khartoum, Sudan is rated High Risk for LGBTQ+ travelers. Same-sex relations may be criminalized. Read the full assessment below before traveling.

Safety by Community

Confidence C · LGBTQ+ data as of 2026-06-18

  • LGBTQ+ 1 (High Risk)
  • Trans 1 (High Risk)
  • HIV+ 3 (High Risk)
  • Neurodivergent — not yet scored ⚠
  • Blind / Low-vision — not yet scored ⚠
  • Deaf / HoH — not yet scored ⚠
  • Mobility — not yet scored ⚠
  • Chronic illness — not yet scored ⚠
  • Religious minorities 11 (High Risk)

Travel Warnings

Taboo topics: serious restriction

Same-sex conduct is criminalized; in a warzone, discussing or photographing either faction, taking sides, or any perceived hostile content can lead to detention, violence or death at checkpoints. Know this before you travel.

Source: https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/sudan/ · verified 2026-06-18

Photography restrictions: serious restriction

Photography is extremely dangerous in an active conflict zone with armed checkpoints; photographing military, fighters, infrastructure or any sensitive site can result in detention or being shot. The US has ordered evacuation/Do Not Travel. Know this before you travel.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/sudan-travel-advisory.html · verified 2026-06-18

Border device & social-media search: serious restriction

Armed factions operate checkpoints where phones are searched and content can trigger detention or violence; there is no safe or predictable entry process during the war. Know this before you travel.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/sudan-travel-advisory.html · verified 2026-06-18

Accessibility barrier: text-to-911

Sudanese emergency numbers (e.g., 999 police, 333 ambulance) are voice-based, and there is no text-to-emergency or RTT service; in any case emergency response across Khartoum is unreliable to nonexistent during the war. This maps to 'no.' Plan around this before you travel.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/sudan-travel-advisory.html · verified 2026-06-18

Accessibility barrier: step-free public transit

Khartoum has no metro or modern accessible mass-transit system; public transport is primarily minibuses and shared taxis with no step-free provision. The civil war has further damaged and disrupted transport infrastructure across the capital. Step-free transit is effectively unavailable, mapping to 'no.' Plan around this before you travel.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/sudan-travel-advisory.html · verified 2026-06-18

Accessibility barrier: guide-dog entry

There is no recognized assistance/guide-dog access framework guaranteeing entry to public spaces in Sudan, and dogs face cultural and practical barriers; in addition, normal border, veterinary, and import processes are not functioning during the war. Guide-dog import is unavailable, mapping to 'no.' Plan around this before you travel.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/sudan-travel-advisory.html · verified 2026-06-18

Police response during a crisis: documented risk

There is no mental-health co-responder model, and during the war police and armed forces are themselves a primary risk to civilians, with no specialized crisis training and a high baseline of danger for anyone behaving atypically in public. This maps to 'no' (risk floor).

Source: https://www.hrw.org/middle-east/north-africa/sudan · verified 2026-06-18

Accessibility barrier: personal medication import

While personal medication import is nominally permitted with documentation, the war has broken down customs, border, and regulatory functions, and bringing medication safely through contested territory and armed checkpoints is unreliable and hazardous. Dependable medication import is effectively unavailable, mapping to 'no.' Plan around this before you travel.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/sudan-travel-advisory.html · verified 2026-06-18

Data sources: WanderSafe 2026 + Equaldex + ILGA World 2025 + Human Rights Watch + Amnesty International

Sudan criminalizes same-sex sexual activity under its Criminal Act (1991). A July 2020 amendment to Article 148 (sodomy/liwat) removed the death penalty and the flogging punishment that had previously applied, but the conduct remains criminalized: imprisonment of up to five years for a first conviction, up to seven years for a second, and life imprisonment for a third. The legal exposure applies to citizens and foreign nationals alike. Sudan's 2020 reform package also repealed the apostasy provision (formerly punishable by death) and public-decency flogging, but conservative legal traditions, a collapsed transition, and the ongoing civil war leave minorities and dissenters at risk in practice. The categories below are drawn from the Human Dignity Trust country profile and US State Department reporting.

Same-sex relations
banned
Criminalized under Article 148 of the Criminal Act 1991. Per the Human Dignity Trust country profile, a July 2020 amendment removed the death penalty and flogging that previously applied to sodomy; the conduct remains a crime, punishable by up to five years' imprisonment for a first offense, up to seven years for a second, and life imprisonment on a third conviction. Criminalization applies to consensual same-sex activity between adults and exposes both nationals and foreigners.
Same-sex marriage / relationship recognition
banned
No legal recognition of any kind. Marriage is governed by personal-status law as exclusively between a man and a woman. There is no civil-union or partnership framework.
Anti-discrimination protections
banned
No protections exist for sexual orientation or gender identity. Because the state criminalizes same-sex conduct and provides no recourse, the legal posture is one of state-sponsored discrimination rather than protection.
Legal gender recognition
banned
No legal pathway exists to change gender markers. There is no administrative or judicial process for gender recognition, and gender-nonconforming presentation can attract public-order and morality scrutiny. Documents inconsistent with perceived gender create immediate legal jeopardy, especially at the many armed checkpoints in and around the capital.
Freedom of expression (LGBTQ+)
banned
There is no lawful space for LGBTQ+ advocacy, organizing, or public expression. Same-sex conduct is criminalized and public-order/morality norms are enforced; LGBTQ+ organizing carries criminal exposure. Wartime conditions, surveillance, and the breakdown of the rule of law further chill any visible expression.
Freedom of religion
restricted
Sudan's July 2020 reforms repealed the apostasy death penalty and ended public flogging for certain morality offenses, and the constitutional document of the transitional period removed Islam as the official state religion. However, Islam remains legally and socially dominant, conversion and minority practice remain socially hazardous, and the collapse of the transition plus the civil war have eroded protections in practice. USCIRF has tracked Sudan as a country of significant religious-freedom concern.

How these scores are computed

  • Legal 0 — derived from 8 verified indicators (100% coverage)
  • Safety 0 — derived from 6 verified indicators (100% coverage)
  • Community 0 — derived from 5 verified indicators (100% coverage)
  • Infrastructure 0 — derived from 7 verified indicators (100% coverage)

Anchors, weights, and the full formula are published in the methodology.

Emergency Contacts

Police
999
Ambulance
333
Fire / Civil Defense
998
US Embassy Khartoum (operations suspended — use for alerts/registration only)
sd.usembassy.gov
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Sudan travel advice
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sudan
Rainbow Railroad (international LGBTQ+ emergency relocation/assessment)
rainbowrailroad.org
OutRight International (international LGBTQ+ human rights)
outrightinternational.org
Human Dignity Trust (international legal / know-your-rights)
www.humandignitytrust.org
UNHCR (refugee protection — Sudan crisis)
www.unhcr.org/emergencies/sudan-emergency

Local Resources & Who to Contact

Vetted organizations and helplines that can assist travelers here. In countries where this community is criminalized, contact notes flag how to reach out safely.

LGBTQ+ org: Rainbow Railroad (international-serving-this-country)
www.rainbowrailroad.org/request-help
International organization that helps LGBTQI+ people facing persecution or danger assess their situation and, where possible, relocate to safety; relevant for people inside Sudan or displaced by the war. SAFETY: contact only from outside the country or over a secure connection (VPN), never expose your identity or location to local authorities or at checkpoints, and share only information you are willing to disclose — request help via their secure intake form rather than unsecured local channels.
LGBTQ+ org: OutRight International — MENA / Sudan monitoring (international-serving-this-country)
outrightinternational.org
International LGBTIQ human-rights organization that monitors the region and can connect advocates with documentation, emergency referral, and protection resources. SAFETY: this is an outside-the-country resource — read its safety guidance without disclosing your location, contact from a secure connection, and do not reveal anything that is not already public; in a criminalizing, war-affected environment, never approach local police or armed forces for help.
Legal aid: Human Dignity Trust (international-serving-this-country)
www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/sudan
International legal organization that maintains the authoritative country profile of Sudan's criminalizing laws (Article 148; the 2020 reform that removed the death penalty but retained criminalization) and supports strategic litigation and know-your-rights information. SAFETY: use as a reference and legal-information source from outside the country; do not carry or transmit anything tying you to LGBTQ+ identity, and assume devices may be searched at armed checkpoints.
crisis: UNHCR — Sudan emergency (refugee protection) (international-serving-this-country)
www.unhcr.org/emergencies/sudan-emergency
UN Refugee Agency coordinating protection for people fleeing Sudan's civil war, including registration and referral pathways in neighboring countries (Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia). Relevant for anyone displaced, including LGBTQ+ people seeking protection. SAFETY: contact from a safe location, ideally after crossing into a neighboring country; disclose persecution grounds only to vetted protection staff, not at checkpoints or to local authorities.
Crisis helpline: ILGA World — global LGBTI emergency referral resources (international-serving-this-country)
ilga.org
International LGBTI federation publishing safety information and referral pathways for people in criminalizing countries. SAFETY: use as an outside-the-country starting point to reach vetted emergency and asylum support rather than contacting authorities locally; reading its resources does not require disclosing your location, and you should share details only over secure channels.

Identity-Specific Guidance

Trans Women

Extreme danger. Active civil war plus criminalized same-sex conduct and no gender recognition. Do Not Travel.

Sudan is in an active civil war and carries a US Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory; Khartoum has been a battleground with collapsed services and pervasive armed checkpoints. There is no legal gender recognition, and same-sex conduct is criminalized (up to five years for a first offense, life imprisonment on a third conviction after the 2020 reform removed the death penalty). Trans women are highly visible and acutely exposed to detention, extortion, and violence by armed actors with no accountability. Travel is strongly discouraged. If you are inside Sudan: prioritize getting to safety and out of the country, keep documents consistent with your presentation, carry nothing identifying, avoid checkpoints where possible, and contact Rainbow Railroad and UNHCR from a secure connection for relocation and protection support.

Trans Men

Extreme danger. War zone; no legal recognition; same-sex conduct criminalized. Do Not Travel.

There is no legal pathway to change gender markers in Sudan, and documents inconsistent with perceived gender create immediate jeopardy at the many armed checkpoints across the capital. Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized, and the country is engulfed in civil war with a Level 4 advisory and collapsed rule of law. Travel is strongly discouraged. If you are in-country: focus on evacuation, keep documents consistent with your presentation, avoid identifying device content, do not disclose trans status to anyone, and contact Rainbow Railroad and UNHCR from outside or via a secure connection for guidance.

Gay Men

Extreme danger. War zone plus criminalized same-sex conduct (up to life imprisonment). Do Not Travel.

Sudan criminalizes male same-sex sexual activity under Article 148 of the Criminal Act; the 2020 reform removed the death penalty but kept criminalization, with up to five years for a first offense and life imprisonment on a third conviction. On top of this legal exposure, the country is in active civil war with a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory, devastated infrastructure, and armed actors operating with impunity. Travel is strongly discouraged. If you are in Sudan: prioritize leaving safely, avoid all dating apps and identifying device content, carry nothing that reveals your identity, do not discuss your identity with anyone, and reach Rainbow Railroad and your government's emergency travel service from a secure connection.

Lesbian & Bi Women

Extreme danger. War zone; female same-sex conduct criminalized; no recognition. Do Not Travel.

Female same-sex sexual activity is criminalized under the same Criminal Act framework, and there is no anti-discrimination protection or recourse. Sudan is in active civil war with a Level 4 advisory; widespread sexual violence against women and girls by armed actors has been documented by Human Rights Watch and UN bodies, compounding the risk. Travel is strongly discouraged. If you are in-country: prioritize getting to safety, keep relationships invisible, avoid dating apps and identifying device content, do not disclose your identity, and contact OutRight International, Rainbow Railroad, and UNHCR from a secure connection.

Nonbinary Travelers

Extreme danger. War zone; no recognition; gender-nonconformity risky at armed checkpoints. Do Not Travel.

Sudan recognizes no nonbinary identities and provides no legal gender recognition, and any presentation read as gender-nonconforming raises risk at the many armed checkpoints across Khartoum. Same-sex conduct is criminalized, and the country is in active civil war with a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory and collapsed services. Travel is strongly discouraged. If you are in Sudan: prioritize evacuation, present consistently with your identity documents, carry nothing identifying, do not disclose your identity to anyone, and contact Rainbow Railroad and UNHCR from outside or via a secure connection for a current risk assessment and protection support.