The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has highlighted a stark humanitarian issue: over one million people have returned to Sudan’s conflict-stricken capital, Khartoum, over the past ten months. Despite their return, the city remains deeply scarred by war, confronting returnees with a landscape marked by devastated infrastructure and inadequate basic services. Numerous challenges persist, including disease outbreaks and wide-ranging violence, exacerbating the difficulties faced by those who have returned. Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General for Operations, emphasized the resilience and peril surrounding this massive return in the report issued on Tuesday. More details can be found in the JURIST report.
Amidst these dire conditions, returnees face the grim reality of damaged homes and sporadic access to essential services. The IOM reported that only a quarter of the individuals originally displaced by the ongoing conflict have returned, while Khartoum hosts more than 3.7 million displaced people. Farhan Haq, UN Deputy Spokesperson, noted that efforts to provide aid and enhance response actions continue where access is permissible.
The challenges in Khartoum underscore a broader humanitarian catastrophe within Sudan. A previous statement from the United Nations expressed concern for the more than 30 million individuals in urgent need of assistance across the country. This current wave of returns follows distressing reports from El Fasher, where acts of violence have resulted in numerous civilian casualties. The civil war in Sudan, initiated in April 2023, has caused substantial displacements and relentless hardships for civilians.
As the international community evaluates its response strategy for Sudan, the situation remains precarious, with a call for increased humanitarian intervention. The persistent state of conflict poses a significant hurdle in providing necessary aid and support to the vast population affected by the civil war.