Consumer protection in Sudan

Sudan's consumer-protection framework includes the National Consumer Protection Law 2019 and state-level rules such as the Khartoum Consumer Protection Law 2012. Public descriptions do not fully agree on how far a consolidated national system has been established: SSMO materials describe a National Consumer Protection Bureau, a National Consumer Affairs Committee, Consumer Protection Prosecution and Consumer Police, while implementation and institutional coverage remain uneven. The Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization, known as SSMO, supports market supervision through standards, conformity checks, laboratory testing, calibration, control of weights and measures, product and food safety, labeling and import pre-shipment inspection. Consumers have rights to health and safety, accurate product and service information, goods that meet applicable quality and standards requirements, free choice, dignity, knowledge of their rights, access to a complaint or court process and reasonable compensation. Providers should show material product information, price, manufacturing and expiry dates, and truthful advertising. When a defect affects a product or service, the provider should inform the relevant administration and consumers promptly and may need to stop production or sale. For a qualifying defective purchase, the provider must repair the item, replace it or refund the payment without additional cost within 15 days from the purchase invoice. The available national material does not establish a general right to return a sound product merely because the buyer changed their mind. For unsafe goods, false measurements, suspected counterfeit products, labeling problems or food-quality concerns, SSMO is the main functional specialist institution. SSMO materials identify 5960 and service 1312 for relevant complaints. Consumer Police and Consumer Protection Prosecution can become involved where inspection, seizure, security measures or criminal enforcement is needed. The Sudanese Society for Consumer Protection can provide a civil-society contact point, but a hotline or association contact does not itself guarantee a refund. Financial complaints follow a separate process. A bank, exchange office, money-transfer company, leasing institution or microfinance provider should receive the complaint first through its internal complaints office. The Central Bank of Sudan, or CBOS, supervises these sectors and states that internal handling should take no more than one month before escalation to its Consumer Protection Section. A CBOS complaint normally identifies the complainant, contact details, financial institution or branch, account information, the earlier complaint, the facts, the requested solution and supporting evidence. The form indicates an upload limit of 2 MB and no general complaint fee is published in the available material. Starting court proceedings excludes CBOS handling of the same matter; if CBOS has not responded, the complainant should follow up after three working days according to the stated process. Telecommunications and postal complaints normally begin with the provider and can then be taken to the Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority, or TPRA. The 2026 User or Subscriber Protection Regulations address service quality, tariff and invoice transparency, hidden charges, misleading advertising, privacy, contractual breach, delay, complaints and possible compensation. A general nationwide complaint process for other online marketplace or e-commerce purchases has not been verified, so the seller's written terms, invoice, payment record and direct complaint channel should be preserved. Travel protection remains fragmented. The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority licenses and supervises aviation, travel and cargo providers and uses customer surveys and non-conformity reporting, but no nationwide passenger-compensation or dispute-decision system has been verified. Energy has no verified nationwide consumer ombudsman or uniform tariff and compensation system in the available material, so the practical complaint process may depend on the supplier, locality and service conditions. Do not assume that a system from a neighboring country applies in Sudan. For medicines and other health products, the National Medicines and Poisons Board handles medicines regulation, while SSMO addresses standards and safety. Suspected counterfeit, expired, unsafe or poor-quality products can be reported to SSMO, with the National Medicines and Poisons Board serving as the technical medicines authority and Consumer Police or Consumer Protection Prosecution handling enforcement where appropriate. A direct public NMPB consumer-complaint process has not been verified. Preserve the invoice, contract, payment proof, packaging, batch or expiry information, photographs, messages and the provider's response. For an unknown bank transaction or payment fraud, contact the bank immediately, protect passwords and PINs, and keep the transaction record. The general Sudan.gov.sd citizen portal requests a name, active email, telephone number, state, city, request type, subject and description; it publishes no general response deadline or fee. The strongest complaint identifies the provider, date, amount, specific defect or misleading act, requested remedy and evidence, then uses the institution linked to the sector.