On 15 April 2023, war broke out in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, the de facto leader of Sudan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).
The war has displaced between 12 and 14 million people, resulting in what is widely considered the world’s largest displacement crisis and one of its worst humanitarian crises. The war has resulted in a devastating death toll estimated between 150,000 and over 400,000, encompassing deaths from direct violence as well as starvation and disease.
However, in late 2025, the SAF recaptured several major cities and states, including Khartoum and Al Gezira, from the RSF. This has restored a degree of safety in some areas and encouraged many Sudanese to return home, both internally and from abroad. As of April 2026, nearly 4 million displaced Sudanese have returned to their home areas, with thousands more continuing to return despite ongoing conflict.
Some Sudanese returnees are using social media from YouTube to TikTok and Instagram to document their journeys back home, offering glimpses into both their experiences and the current state of the country.
Ahmed AbdAlgader
Ahmed AbdAlgader is a digital creator who after the war in Sudan, he fled to Egypt then Qatar then returned to Sudan in March 2025. He returned to his hometown Bahri (Khartoum North), and started to a business to check on people’s damaged and ransacked homes and other property, and rehabilitate and renovate homes in greater Khartoum.
Social media: YouTube youtube.com/@AhmedKtma, TikTok @ahmedabdalgader109, Instagram @ahmed_abdalgader109, Threads @ahmed_abdalgader109
Alzubiar Fathi
Alzubiar Fathi returned to Sudan in late 2025 and started vlogging about his return in January 2026. However, he has been a YouTuber since 2022 where he told frightening true crime stories from around the world. He has since gained over 37,000 subscribers.
Social media: YouTube youtube.com/@AlzubairFathi, TikTok @alzubair_fathi, Instagram @alzubair_fathi, X twitter.com/alzubayr, Facebook facebook.com/profile.php
Hanad Kamal
Hanad Kamal is a medical doctor and content creator who started content creation in March 2025. He is the founder of CEO and founder of HKB Center, an digital medical platform for accurate information, sound medical awareness, and medical consultations and courses. He returned to Sudan in early 2026 and began sharing his return to Sudan with the world via his social media platforms in February 2026.
Social media: Instagram @drhanad.kb, TikTok @hanad.kb, Threads @drhanad.kb
Hmood
Very little is known about Hmood, but he appears to be a new content creator with a talent for photography and videography. He began documenting and sharing glimpses of post-war Khartoum in December 2025, when he launched his Instagram account. On his page, he shares photos and videos of streets across Sudan, capturing rundown and damaged homes, shops, and other infrastructure. Despite the visible destruction, his work presents these scenes in a visually striking and thoughtful way.
Social media: Instagram @1.s5r_
Missa Ali
Missa Ali is one of over 12 to 14 million who have been displaced by the war in Sudan. She and her family fled Sudan in 2023 to Uganda, and in 2024, she began her vlogging journey from being displaced in Uganda to returning to a war-torn Sudan. Once safety returned to some parts of Sudan, she and her family returned to the home in Omdurman in July 2025.
YouTube channel: youtube.com/@missa-ali
Honourable mentions
The following accounts are not focused exclusively on returning to Sudan, but they offer glimpses into life in the country, whether visiting or now based there.
- Hassan Kamil | Photographer and filmmaker | Instagram @hasnkamil
- Moe Mahdi | Photographer and videographer | @moe_mahdi
- Mohamed Babikr | Photographer and filmmaker | Instagram @m.babikr
- Moiz | Photographer and videographer | Instagram @m.o.3.z
- Osman Salih | Founder of Sudan Animal Rescue and Run 4 Sudan | @0smano
