Sudanese return home from Egypt to reclaimed areas in Khartoum
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Hundreds of Sudanese families are returning home from Egypt to areas recaptured by the Sudanese Armed Forces in Khartoum, as voluntary repatriation gains momentum amid post-conflict rebuilding efforts.
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A Sudanese woman, who was driven from her home and is now returning, prepares to enter her train to Aswan at Cairo's Ramses railway station, Egypt, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP)
Dozens of Sudanese families gathered at Cairo’s main railway station, carrying bags and belongings as they prepared to return home after fleeing the conflict in Sudan.
They are among thousands of displaced Sudanese making their way back from Egypt to areas recently retaken by the Sudanese Armed Forces from the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum and its outskirts since the beginning of the year.
The families were waiting to board a train headed for the southern Egyptian city of Aswan. From there, they will travel by bus to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, according to a report by Reuters.
190,000+ Sudanese cross back from Egypt in 2024
More than 4 million Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries since the start of the conflict, over 1.5 million of them to Egypt, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Since the start of 2024, over 190,000 people have crossed the border from Egypt back into Sudan, more than five times the number of returnees recorded in all of 2023, the IOM reported earlier this month.
Return movement supported by Sudanese businessmen
Sudan’s ambassador to Egypt, Imad Al-Din Adawi, who visited the train station on Monday, described the return of Sudanese nationals as “a critical phase for reconstruction and restoring stability” in the country.
Adawi explained that weekly trains departing from Cairo to aid in the voluntary return of Sudanese citizens have been funded by Sudanese businessmen.
According to the IOM, the majority of returnees so far have traveled to Khartoum, as well as to the states of Sennar and al-Jazirah, located south of the capital.
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