Stranded in Uganda During Iran War, Seven Sudanese Asylum Seekers Are Unable to Return to Israel

Seven Sudanese asylum seekers with temporary residency in Israel have been stranded in Uganda during the war with Iran and, for months, have not been allowed by Israel to return, Haaretz has learned.

The seven’s Israeli documents and visas expired during their stay abroad, and they have since been unable to renew them or arrange for their return. Lacking valid documents, they were barred from boarding flights to Israel and remain in Uganda without status. 

The asylum seekers, who left Israel legally, traveled to Uganda in recent months for family visits and were due to return to Israel by the end of February. But after the outbreak of war, their flights were canceled and they have remained there.

On April 22, following the announcement of a cease-fire and the resumption of flights, the seven attempted to return to Israel via Ethiopia – but were not permitted to board their connecting flight from Addis Ababa to Tel Aviv without valid travel documents. 

Sudanese citizens have been granted protected status in Israel due to the ongoing conflict in the country and the difficulty of repatriating them. Most have not been recognized as refugees. However, some Sudanese have been granted temporary residency following Israeli court rulings in recent years, allowing them to reside and work in Israel and receive basic rights, subject to periodic renewal. 

Residency visa procedures were frozen throughout the war with Iran, and foreign nationals were not required to renew them. Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority said visas expiring between February 22 and March 31 would be automatically extended by three months. 

However, the seven did not receive visa extensions, with no clear reason provided. According to the authority, the seven “left Israel independently,” and therefore must “contact the relevant Israeli representation and act according to established procedures to arrange their arrival.”

Speaking to Haaretz from Uganda, Salah Ismail, 34, recounted his experience. “Israel said that anyone who was abroad during the war could return with their visa, but when we arrived in Addis Ababa, they stopped us,” he said.

Ismail, who was born near the Sudanese capital Khartoum and fled to Israel in 2010, now resides in central Israel and works as a welder. He left the country in August last year to visit family in Uganda and get married. His visa expired during the extension period, but along with the six others, he has encountered repeated difficulties attempting to return. 

“They held us for eight days inside the airport, without permission to even go to a hotel,” he said, noting their suitcases had been sent to Israel. 

The seven remain in Uganda without a recognized status, and cannot work or move freely. They told Haaretz they fear local immigration authorities and say they are in increasingly severe financial hardship.

According to Ismail, some of them do not have relatives in Uganda and are forced to rely on temporary assistance from acquaintances. “We are confined inside the homes of families and friends,” Ismail said, “Immigration inspectors are patrolling, and they can take you at any moment.”

Being cut off from Israel, where they live and work, further exacerbates the seven’s situation. Ismail said his employer continues to stay in touch with him, but without the possibility of returning, there is no certainty when he can resume his work and daily routine. 

“Our lives are a catastrophe here, it’s a waste of time,” he said, “I have no money left in my pocket; everything is in a bank in Israel, and I cannot withdraw it. We are sitting in homes like animals, doing nothing and waiting for something to happen.” 

Attorney Michal Pomerantz, who represents the seven, said there was “no justification for not renewing their status, as was done for all other visa holders whose visas expired during the war.”

Pomerantz contacted the Interior Ministry last week in an attempt to facilitate their return, but has yet to receive a response. She described the situation as “outrageous,” noting the seven were “stranded abroad through no fault of their own, in the shadow of the war.”

“These are asylum seekers who have lived in Israel for over a decade, who waited a long time to receive residency, and traveled abroad to meet their family members,” Pomerantz added. “There is no justification for not renewing their status, as was done for all other visa holders whose visas expired during the war.”