Geneva: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) called for sustained support to Sudanese authorities as more than three million displaced people return to their areas of origin.
IOM Director General, Amy Pope, said in a statement that such support would contribute to the effective recovery of affected areas and their residents. She noted that while over three million Sudanese have returned home, many have found their houses destroyed and essential services limited.
Pope emphasised that returning to these areas does not necessarily mean a return to safety. Still, it reflects the resilience and determination of Sudanese families seeking to rebuild their lives despite destruction, lack of services, and an uncertain future. Without guaranteed support, this return could turn into another chapter of hardship rather than a path to recovery.
She highlighted the urgent need for sustainable humanitarian funding to support return areas and affected communities, prevent renewed displacement, and meet growing demands, as well as to support solutions that could help end the cycle of displacement.
The highest number of returnees has been recorded in Khartoum State, with over 1.3 million people returning, followed by Al Jazirah State. Of the returnees, 83 percent are internally displaced, while 17 percent are returning from neighboring countries, including Egypt, South Sudan, and Libya.
The IOM stressed the importance of ensuring dignified living conditions, access to services, and protection for returnees, many of whom return with almost nothing and face limited prospects.
The IOM had previously warned that homelessness could become "an inevitable fate” for the Sudanese people, highlighting the internal and cross-border displacement of 15 million people since the outbreak of conflict between the army and Rapid Support Forces, describing it as the largest displacement crisis in the world today.
