Khartoum, Sudan – Mohamed Mahdi Makki Farah, 51, returned home near the Sudanese capital in August 2025 after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) declared the entire state of Khartoum free of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters. But it was not the end of his family’s struggles. The 51-year-old had left his home in Jabal Awliya, south of Khartoum, for el-Fasher in North Darfur in June 2023.
He returned home to find it destroyed and ransacked, with even the household utensils stolen. Now we sleep on the floor, and some of us are living in rented houses,” Makki Farah told Al Jazeera. The journey of displacement and return exhausted his remaining resources, while children’s medical expenses and the family’s daily needs added to their financial burden.
This meant he was unable to generate the funds needed to repair his home, so rent became an additional burden, while access to water, electricity and healthcare services is still difficult. They had also lost important documents during the war and had to start from scratch to replace them. As for healthcare, only government health centres are operating, thank God,” Makki Farah said.
The family’s experiences are those faced by millions of Sudanese families returning to their homes after years of displacement. Fighting between the SAF and the RSF, which began in April 2023, continues, particularly in the southeast of the country. But large parts of Sudan are more stable after government victories, particularly around Khartoum.
Sudanese displaced from these areas during early years of fighting are beginning to return home now that the situation has improved. According to the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix report, as of September 30, approximately 5.27 million displaced Sudanese returned to their homes in nine states. Of those, 82 percent had been internally displaced, while 18 percent had crossed the borders.
Children accounted for about half of all returnees. According to an assessment published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in August 2026, approximately 2.5 million people had returned to their homes in Khartoum state. But the agency warned that returning did not necessarily mean people had the conditions needed to rebuild their lives.
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