Thousands Displaced by Sudan War Return Home from Egypt

Sudanese students, who mostly came to Egypt after the war in Sudan, walk to their school, in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, April 17, 2024

By Africa News with AP

Tens of thousands of Sudanese driven from their homes by conflict are now returning, despite war still raging in some parts of the country.

They set off on the journey, even though they don't know what they'll find in their homeland, wrecked and still embroiled in a two-year-old war.

But they are hoping for some stability after the military recaptured the capital Khartoum and other areas from its rival, the Rapid Support Forces.

Nearly 13 million people fled their homes, with some 4 million streaming into neighbouring countries and the rest sheltering elsewhere in Sudan.

A relatively small portion of the refugees are returning so far, but the numbers are accelerating.

Some 1.5 million Sudanese fled to Egypt during the war, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

In Cairo, travel agency coordinator Walid Abu el-Seid says there has been a noticeable uptick in travelers booking trips back to Sudan.

Hundreds of Sudanese take the two or three buses each day for southern Egypt, the first leg in the journey home.

According to the International Organization for Migration, some 123,000 Sudanese returned from Egypt since the start of the year, including nearly 50,000 so far in April, double the month before.

It estimates that some 400,000 internally displaced Sudanese have gone back to their homes in the Khartoum area, neighbouring Gezira province and southeast Sennar province.

But many of the returnees are finding their neighbourhoods shattered left shattered by fighting, often with no electricity and scarce food, water and services.

Still, Huzaifa Al-Mubarak was determined to go back.

About to board a bus in Egypt's capital Cairo, he insisted that there were "no fears in Khartoum... It is safe and secure."

The battle for power between the military and Rapid Support Forces caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

At least 20,000 people were killed, according to the United Nations, though the figure is likely higher.

Aid remains limited and the scale of needs far exceeds available resources, according to UNHCR officials.