“Yesterday I was in Khartoum and I saw large numbers of people returning to areas where homes and critical infrastructure such as water, health and electricity had been severely damaged.“, said.
Running out of options
Returning home despite the harsh reality reflects the determination of the displaced and the difficult circumstances that push them to return, Ms. Lee explained.
The IOM indicates that more than two million more people are expected to return to Khartoum alone in 2026.
“Many return because they believe security has improved.”he said, while For others, life on the move has become unbearableparticularly due to economic pressures and increasingly harsh conditions in neighboring countries.
According to the IOM, at the height of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that broke out on April 15, 2023, almost 12 million people fled hard-hit areas, particularly Al Jazirah, Khartoum and parts of Sennar and Kordofan.
More than 4.5 million crossed into neighboring countries, first of all Egypt, South Sudan and Chad.
Today, almost nine million remain internally displaced.
“Host communities in eastern and northern Sudan… Kassala, Gedaref, Red Sea, Northern and Nile River states have borne much of this burden, welcoming displaced families while already facing economic hardship and climate-related pressures,” Ms. Lee emphasized.
“This has pushed the available infrastructure almost to the limit.”
Little chance of survival
While in Khartoum increasing returns have put additional pressure on war-damaged urban infrastructure, in Al Jazirah, a major agricultural region, returnees are encountering levels of destruction that may jeopardize their chances of growing anything to survive.
“Farmers are returning to fields where irrigation systems and equipment have been damaged,” Ms Lee said, “threatening livelihoods and food production at a critical time for the country.”
While the humanitarian response remains underfunded, “Without urgent investment to restore essential services, rebuild infrastructure and revive livelihoods, secure and sustainable returns are at serious risk.”, he concluded.
Hopes for a ceasefire dashed
Despite repeated diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire, the war has continued unabated since April 2023, becoming the world’s largest displacement and protection crisis.
The conflict has been marked by serious violence and widespread human rights violations against civilians, including sexual violence, torture, arbitrary killings, extortion, and attacks against specific ethnic groups.
The resulting humanitarian crisis has impacted the country and the region as a whole.
And as Sudan’s conflict enters its fourth year, the UN refugee agency UNHCR has warned that both the scale and complexity of the crisis are intensifying.
The agency has continued to see large internal and cross-border displacements, as well as secondary or repeated movements driven by insecurity, but also due to deficiencies in services in neighboring countries, with clinics closing, nutrition programs suspended, and protection services reduced.