UN: 1.3 million Sudanese displaced people have returned to their homes

SadaNews - The United Nations announced yesterday evening that more than 1.3 million Sudanese have returned to their homes after being displaced due to war, and called for support for them.

The fighting between the army and Rapid Support Forces since April 2023 has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and millions of displacements, leading to what the United Nations has described as "the most devastating crisis in the world."

Although fighting has ceased in the areas to which the displaced and refugees are returning, conditions remain perilous, according to a statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, and the United Nations Development Programme.

Mamadou Dian Baldi, the regional director of the UNHCR, stated that "there are more and more internally displaced persons who have decided to return to their homes." He added in remarks made from Nairobi that "one million internally displaced persons have returned to their homes" in recent months.

For his part, Osman al-Balbisi, the regional director of the International Organization for Migration, clarified from Port Sudan that "the largest flows began at the beginning of the year, but the flows to Khartoum have gradually started since March."

Returns began in late 2024, but the majority of people have returned since January, according to the UNHCR.

Dian Baldi pointed out that "these refugees and displaced persons are returning to their homes with almost nothing."

Most people have returned to the states of Khartoum, Sennar, and Al-Jazeera that were severely affected by more than two years of war, according to UN agencies.

Public infrastructure has been completely destroyed, as well as schools and hospitals, or converted into collective shelters, while the loss or destruction of civil status documents and the impossibility of replacing them prevents many from accessing services. Returnees also face the risks of unexploded ordnance.

The UN expects about 2.1 million people to return to Khartoum by the end of the year. Al-Balbisi stated: "This depends on many factors, the most important of which are security conditions and the ability to resume services in a timely manner."

In light of the significant shortfall in funding for humanitarian operations in Sudan and in neighboring countries hosting refugees, the United Nations has called for an urgent increase in financial assistance.