Ali bin Hassan Jafar is the current Saudi ambassador to the Republic of Sudan. This week, Saudi Arabia was selected as the first hub center for visa applications to Sudan.
The Sudanese Embassy in Riyadh inaugurated the visa application center in partnership with outsourcing and technology services specialists VFS Global, who will provide assistance in managing visa and passport administration, diplomatic missions and other non-discretionary tasks.
On Wednesday, Jafar was received by the Sudanese government in Khartoum and was honored with a reception gathering hosted by the Sudanese Red Crescent Association in acknowledgment of the humanitarian aid that Saudi Arabia has provided to the Sudanese people.
During the ceremony, Sudanese Minister of State Tariq Tawfiq presented Jafar with a commemorative shield in the presence of El-Hadji Amadou Sy, secretary-general of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Associations Federation.
Born in Khamis Mushait in 1955, Jafar holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Riyadh University, which he was awarded in 1978, after which he earned his diploma in diplomatic studies from the Institute of Diplomatic Studies in Riyadh in 1980.
From 1981 to 1989, he served in the permanent Saudi delegation in Geneva.
He was then assigned to serve in the Saudi Embassy in Moscow from 1991 to 2000. Aside from Arabic, Jafar is fluent in English, French and Russian.
He played a vital role in establishing the Saudi Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan where he was appointed ambassador and served from 2000 until 2008.