IOM seeks urgent funds to aid 1.3 million war-displaced Sudanese returning home

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is appealing for urgent financial support to assist over 1.3 million war-displaced Sudanese who have begun voluntarily returning home.

A further 320,000 people have crossed back into Sudan since last year, mainly from Egypt and South Sudan, some to assess the current situation before deciding whether to return permanently.

While conflict persists across much of Sudan, IOM reports that pockets of relative safety have emerged, and to date, over a million internally displaced Sudanese have started making their way back.

Speaking from Port Sudan shortly after his visit to Khartoum, IOM Regional Director Othman Belbeisi emphasised that those returning are not passive survivors but vital to Sudan's recovery.

"Yes, the humanitarian situation is dire, but with the right support, returnees can revive local economies, restore community life, and foster hope where it’s needed most. But they cannot do it alone. We must work alongside local partners to ensure people return not to shattered systems, but to the foundations of peace, dignity, and opportunity. The thousands seeking to return home are driven by hope, resilience, and an enduring connection to their country. However, it is essential to emphasise that return must remain a voluntary, informed, and dignified choice," he said.

Despite these returns, hundreds continue to flee both within Sudan and across its borders daily, due to ongoing conflict, particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.

IOM notes that although fighting has subsided in some areas to which people are returning, conditions remain perilous as public infrastructure, power lines, roads and drainage systems have been destroyed.

At the same time, schools and hospitals have been ruined or converted into collective shelters housing displaced families.

Many people are also unable to access existing services, having lost or being unable to replace destroyed civil documents.

They face further risks from unexploded ordnance, while sexual violence and child rights violations remain widespread.

Returnees are mainly heading back to Khartoum, Sennar, and Al Jazirah states, where the devastation caused by more than two years of war is profound.

Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Sudan crisis, who has just returned from Khartoum and Wadi Halfa on the Egyptian border, said these returns signify more than just people’s desire to return home.

"These returns are a desperate call for an end to the war so people can come back and rebuild their lives. Not only do they mark a hopeful but fragile shift, they also highlight the increasing strain on already stretched host countries. We urge stronger international solidarity with the Sudanese people uprooted by this horrifying war, and with the countries that have welcomed them," he said.

UNDP Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States, Abdallah Al Dardari, warned that without urgent action, people will be returning to cities in ruins.

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"We are in a race against time to clear rubble and restore water, electricity and healthcare. We must also provide longer-term support for jobs and businesses, and address the unseen damage of war, including counselling and legal aid for women who have suffered violence," he said.

There are currently four million Sudanese refugees across the East African region, including those displaced before the current conflict began two years ago.

Humanitarian organisations continue to call for a political solution to the crisis, stressing the need for lasting peace that would allow people to return fully and rebuild their lives.

"With humanitarian operations massively underfunded both inside Sudan and in neighbouring host countries, an urgent increase in financial support is essential," IOM said.