Malta has temporarily halted its decisions on asylum sought by Sudanese nationals as their home country continues to be ravaged by civil war.
No Sudanese national was forcibly returned to Sudan since the country descended into war on April 15.
The conflict erupted when a powerful paramilitary unit rejected a plan to merge into the regular army under a promised transition to civilian rule. Around 1,000 people have since been killed and the United Nations has warned it expects more than one million to flee to neighbouring countries this year.
With the situation remaining fluid and uncertain, UNHCR this week called on all countries to allow civilians of all nationalities fleeing Sudan non-discriminatory access to their territories.
In a position paper the UNHCR said that in the case of Sudanese nationals whose claim for international protection was rejected prior to recent events, the current situation in Sudan may give rise to changed circumstances, which need to be considered, including if a new asylum claim is submitted.
Last year, Malta rejected Sudanese asylum seekers en masse. According to the UNHCR, the International Protection Agency issued 602 decisions: 342 were “otherwise closed”, 258 were rejected, and two were granted refugee status for a recognition rate of 0.3 per cent compared to the European average of 40 per cent. The IPA is Malta’s agency for asylum status determination and international protection.
The UNHCR meanwhile called on states to suspend the forcible return of nationals and stateless people who were habitual residents of Sudan, including those who have already had their asylum claims rejected.
When contacted, a Home Affairs Ministry spokesperson said that “having taken due note of the latest country of origin information which indicates a significant increase in security incidents and fatalities in parts of Sudan and in view of the current volatile situation in the country, the IPA has decided to temporarily put on hold the issuance of decisions on applications by Sudanese nationals.
“This will allow the agency to better assess the situation and the protection needs of the applicants,” he added.
Asked whether any Sudanese nationals had been returned – either voluntarily or forcibly – as of April 15, the spokesperson said, “no forced returns to Sudan were carried out since the outbreak of the civil unrest”.