Sudan Return Crisis Deepens as Millions Face ‘Second Struggle for Survival’ Amid War Devastation

Nearly four million displaced people have returned to their homes across Sudan after three years of devastating conflict, only to encounter what the United Nations describes as a “second struggle for survival.”

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), most returns are concentrated in Khartoum and the neighbouring Al Jazirah state, regions heavily damaged by the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023.

IOM Deputy Director General Sung Ah Lee, speaking after visiting Khartoum, said returnees are arriving to find destroyed homes and collapsed essential services such as water, electricity, healthcare, and basic infrastructure. Despite these conditions, many continue to return due to perceived improvements in security or unbearable living conditions in displacement camps.

The IOM estimates that over two million additional people may return to Khartoum alone in 2026. At the peak of the conflict, nearly 12 million people were displaced, with more than 4.5 million fleeing to neighbouring countries including Egypt, South Sudan, and Chad. Today, around nine million people remain internally displaced.

Host communities in eastern and northern Sudan—including Kassala, Gedaref, Red Sea, Northern, and River Nile states—continue to carry a heavy burden as they support both returnees and displaced families while facing economic hardship and climate pressures.

In Al Jazirah, a major agricultural region, destroyed irrigation systems and damaged farming equipment are threatening food production and livelihoods. In Khartoum, war-damaged urban infrastructure is struggling under the pressure of rising returns.

The IOM warns that without urgent investment in rebuilding infrastructure, restoring essential services, and reviving livelihoods, returns may not be safe or sustainable.