RIYADH – Authorities in Saudi Arabia have decided to extend the duration of stay of Umrah pilgrims from Sudan who have arrived in the kingdom on pilgrimage visas.
On the directives of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom has also launched a program allowing Saudi citizens and expatriates to host the Sudanese pilgrims after converting their Umrah visas to visit visas; this is being done on humanitarian grounds to help the pilgrims from violence-torn Sudan.
The General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) has started the procedures to extend the duration of the visas of Sudanese pilgrims who are not in a position to return back to their country.
The department has also launched a service titled “Hosting Sudanese pilgrims” through the Ministry of Interior’s electronic platform Absher Individuals (Absher Afrad) for Saudi citizens and expatriates who wish to host the people from Sudan.
To host the pilgrims, the authorities would convert Umrah visa into a visit visa (family or personal) according to the terms and conditions announced in the Absher platform. Under the relief, the government allows hosting of Sudanese pilgrims by their relatives or acquaintances residing in the Kingdom or by Saudi citizens, Saudi Gazette reported.
To avail the offer, the Sudanese pilgrims can navigate to the webiste (https://www.absher.sa), and then choose the following options: My Services – Passports – Communication – and the section (visit visas).
Afterwards, the pilgrims should choose the service (Request to host Sudanese pilgrims) and attach a copy of the expatriate’s passport and a copy of the entry visa.
The important aspect in this regard is that the request must be submitted from the host’s account and a brief explanation of the request should be written in the “request description” column.
The government of Saudi Arabia has also made efforts to airlift those stranded in Sudan. People from different countries including Pakistan have been rescued as part of the efforts by the kingdom.
The conflict between the forces loyal to Sudan’s military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and those of his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo erupted on April 15 and has claimed hundreds of lives and left thousands injured.
Since the conflict erupted last month, tens of thousands have already left for neighbouring Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan to save their lives amid fierce fighting between the groups.
