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Sudan: urgent help needed as more than 1.3 million war-displaced people begin to return home

As conflict rages on across parts of Sudan, pockets of relative safety have emerged in the past four month, spurring more than one million internally displaced Sudanese to make their way home, says the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A further 320,000 cross-border refugees have come back to Sudan since last year, mainly from Egypt and South Sudan, to assess the current situation before deciding to return to their country for good.

“The majority of returns has been to Al-Jazirah (also spelled Gezira), almost 71 per cent; and then 13 per cent to Sennar and, so far, 8 per cent to Khartoum,” said Othman Belbeisi, IOM Regional Director, speaking from Port Sudan.

Most of the Internally Displaced People, or IDPs, are from Sudan’s capital, Kharthoum. “We expect about 2.1 million to return to Khartoum by the end of this year, but this will depend on many factors, especially the security situation and the ability to restore services in a timely manner,” Mr. Belbeisi explained.

Since the current conflict began in April 2023, more than 12 million people - the equivalent of the entire population of Chile, or of Russia’s capital Moscow - have been forcibly displaced, making it the largest displacement crisis in the world. Almost five million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

Sudan’s military took control of Greater Khartoum region including the capital in May of this year, after a long-running battle against the Rapid Support Forces in the western and southern areas. The brutal conflict has pushed parts of the country into famine.

Sudanese are now returning to areas that are accessible, but the impact of more than two years of violent conflict is immense.

During a recent visit by UN representatives to Khartoum, an old man approached them to stress their needs are simple. “Food, water, healthcare --and education, since this is the future of our children and we really need to invest in this future,” the old man insisted, according to IOM Regional Director.

Efforts are underway to support returnees in their choice to go back. It is a race against time to clear the rubble, provide essential services like clean water, power and boost capacities of health facilities to prevent the spread of deadly diseases such as cholera.

“There are about 1’700 wells that need to be rehabilitated and they need power and solarization here is a great solution,” explained Luca Renda, Sudan Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The United Nations Development Programme aims at developing long-term solutions for war-displaced people to secure livelihoods and basic services.

“There are at least six hospitals that require urgent rehabilitation and repair and a number of primary health centers,” he continued. Transport and cash for food, hygiene kits, medicines and clothes are also distributed to vulnerable people arriving in border areas.

Mine clearance is another urgent challenge facing the capital, Khartoum if rehabilitation and reconstruction are to begin. “There are hundreds of thousands, if not more, of unexploded ordnance in the city”, said Mr. Renda. “The local Mine Action Authority, with the support of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), started the decontamination. Even in our own office, we found literally hundreds of unexploded ordnances (UXO),” he stressed.

It will take years to fully decontaminate the city from this deadly debris of war. UNDP estimates that the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) will need at least USD 10 million to be able to deploy the required number of demining teams to work in partnership with the national authorities and inform the population about the risks of unexploded ordnance.

As of 21 July 2025, aid agencies, including the UN, have only received 23 per cent of the USD 4.2 billion required to deliver life-saving aid to the nearly 21 million vulnerable people inside Sudan.

Despite the recent returns, hundreds of people daily continue to flee -- both within Sudan and across its borders -- due to the ongoing conflict. This is especially true in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

“In the Darfurs, they keep producing refugees, over 800,000” since the beginning of the conflict, said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Sudan Crisis.

According to the UN refugee agency, USD 1.8 billion are needed to support 4.8 million people who have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries, but only 17 percent of that money has been made available. “People who are refugees still need greater support from our side,” Mr. Balde said. “And overall, we need peace, we need peace, we need peace, so that this brutal conflict ends,” he concluded.

Ends

Sudan displaced return – IOM, UNDP, UNHCR 25 July 2025

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