With relative safety emerging in some parts of Sudan, over 1.3 million Sudanese people, including one million who were internally displaced and over 300,000 refugees, have returned home, according to UN agencies.
Most of the returnees are heading to Khartoum, Al Gezira and Sennar states where the impact of the conflict is still very acute.
‘The thousands of people seeking to return home are driven by hope, resilience and an enduring connection to their country,’ said Othman Belbeisi, regional director of the International Organization of Migration (IOM).
In late 2024, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured several major cities and states such as Khartoum and Al Gezira from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), restoring a sense of safety that has prompted many Sudanese to return to their homes, both from within the country and abroad. However, many have come back to find their homes destroyed or ransacked, and to communities where resources have been severely depleted by over two years of war. Basic services such as water and electricity are slowly being restored, but healthcare remains a major concern, with most hospitals damaged or destroyed during the conflict. In addition, public infrastructure as roads and power plants has been compromised or destroyed.
Since fighting broke out between the SAF and the paramilitary RSF on 15 April 2023, over 12 million Sudanese have been forcibly displaced, representing the largest displacement crisis in the world. One third of the displaced people have fled into neighbouring countries such as Egypt, Chad and South Sudan, which are increasingly struggling to support the influx of refugees. However, the majority – over 7 million – have been displaced internally. Port Sudan, the capital city of the Red Sea State, now operates as the temporary capital or de facto capital, instead of Khartoum.
‘Not only do [the returnees] mark a hopeful but fragile shift, they also indicate already stretched host countries under increasing strain,’ said Mamadou Dian Balde, the regional coordinator for the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR.
Egypt hosts the largest number of Sudanese refugees from the war with over 1.5 million people who fled north across the border. The Egyptian government is funding train rides to Khartoum. Most recently, on 21 July, hundreds of people took a free journey home from Cairo’s central train station.
According to the UN, humanitarian work in and around Sudan is drastically underfunded. Only 23% of the estimated USD4.2 billion needed for the next year has been received, meaning that lifesaving services may have to be scaled back.
For more information, visit news.un.org.
Useful links
https://500wordsmag.com/suda-lists/famine-in-sudan-here-is-how-you-can-help/
https://500wordsmag.com/suda-lists/how-to-help-the-people-of-sudan/
