Thousands of displaced Sudanese are making their way back home from Egypt, following significant territorial gains by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the capital Khartoum and surrounding areas. These returns mark a significant turning point in Sudan’s devastating civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
At Cairo’s main railway station, hopeful families many of whom have lived as refugees for over a year gathered to board free trains to Aswan in southern Egypt. From there, they will take buses across the border to Khartoum and nearby regions. Among the returnees, a sense of cautious optimism prevails.
“I miss every corner of Sudan, really. I’m very happy that I’m going back,” said Malaz Atef, one of the returnees. Children in the crowd wore hats that read, “Thank you, Egypt” in Arabic a gesture of gratitude to their host country.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 190,000 people have returned to Sudan from Egypt since the start of 2025 five times the total number of returnees in all of 2024. Sudan’s ambassador to Egypt, Emad el-Din Adawy, hailed the movement as a key step toward “reconstruction and bringing back stability.”
The war has displaced over 12 million people, with more than 1.5 million fleeing to Egypt alone. While many Sudanese in Egypt have reported challenges in finding work and facing discrimination, Egypt has also deported thousands of refugees it claims entered illegally. Some Sudanese have attempted onward migration to countries like Libya.
The weekly return trains from Cairo have been financed by Sudanese businessmen, a symbol of the diaspora’s commitment to national recovery.
While the situation in Khartoum has stabilized somewhat, fighting continues in central Kordofan and Darfur’s al-Fashir region. Despite the ongoing conflict, the growing number of returnees reflects a strong desire among displaced Sudanese to reclaim their homes and begin rebuilding their lives.