Khartoum - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there any particular mental health issues that tend to crop up at post, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter blues)?
The excessive heat (over 100 degrees F regularly) can be debilitating. You need to stay constantly hydrated and limit daytime hours outside, particularly from March through October. That said, being inside so often, at a post where mobility is limited, can make people stir-crazy. - Feb 2018
Sudan can be tough. While Sudanese are very open and friendly, most do not speak English. Most of the social activities fall on the weekend (and even these become repetitive), so there is not much to do during the week. Boredom is an issue. The security posture isolates you from the wider expat and local community. It's difficult and tiresome to leave your compound for even routine tasks, and your friends will quickly tire of dealing with the strict security measures. In order to travel anywhere within Sudan you need to acquire a travel permit, which requires advance planning. People look forward to any reason to leave and are generally depressed upon return to post. I will say that there's a new security team in charge now that seems to be willing to minimize the impact of security on people's personal lives. - May 2017
R&R hangover is a real thing. Khartoum can be very challenging as there are very few social outlets, particularly outlets outside of your own Embassy community. Security constraints have had secondary and tertiary effects on Embassy morale. - Nov 2016
Not that I can think of. - Oct 2016
