An asylum seeker trying to flee war-torn Sudan had his application rejected because the Home Office was using outdated information about the country.
Decision-makers were reportedly using information from 2021 to assess the country’s safety, despite war breaking out in April of this year.
The investigation by i has raised concerns about the accuracy of Home Office asylum decisions.
A rejection later sent last month said a Sudanese national doesn’t qualify for humanitarian protection because there is ‘not a real risk’ to him from ‘indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict’ in his home country.
The decision-maker says the Sudanese national would not ‘face a real risk of suffering serious harm’.
This is despite Sudan descending into civil war only three months ago, which has seen hundreds of people killed and more than 600,000 people leaving the country.
It’s not yet clear how many, if any, other cases have been assessed using outdated information.
Care4Calais, a refugee charity, described the situation as a ‘scandal’ and said the government ‘must immediately ensure that all asylum decisions are based on up-to-date country guidance’.
Hannah Marwood, legal access manager at the charity, 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.
‘Everyone knows that the situation in Sudan has significantly worsened in recent months, and reports of ethnic cleansing of non-Arab Darfuris are particularly concerning.
‘Under these circumstances, it is a scandal that the government is rejecting the asylum claims of non-Arab Darfuris who fled Sudan due to previous persecution.
‘To do so using country information that is two years out of date is either negligent or speaks to the wider systemic issues facing Sudanese asylum seekers in the UK.’
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said: ‘The situation in Sudan is dire and dangerous. The government should be opening up safe routes for people fleeing the conflict to find safety in the UK – particularly people with family here – and encouraging other countries to do the same.
‘This could provide some relief to neighbouring countries, deprive smugglers of opportunities to exploit people’s desperate need to attempt perilous journeys and ultimately save lives.’
The Home Office could not explain why updated information wasn’t used when assessing the man’s case. A spokesman confirmed they would be in touch with the Sudanese national to ‘review his asylum application’.
They added: ‘All asylum applications are considered on their individual merits in line with the asylum rules and the evidence presented.’
Sources at the Home Office insisted country information was under constant review and updated periodically, and that decisions made were well reasoned.
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