(MENAFN) More than one million people have returned to Khartoum over the past ten months, despite the city’s devastation from ongoing civil conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

IOM’s Sudan Return Monitoring Snapshot reported that these returns occurred between November 2024 and September 2025, with families coming back from other parts of the country.

“The scale of return to Khartoum is both a sign of resilience and a warning,” said Ugochi Daniels, IOM deputy director general for operations. She noted that people are returning to a city still scarred by conflict, with damaged homes and barely functioning basic services.

Daniels also warned that outbreaks of cholera, dengue, and malaria make urgent the need for investments in clean water, healthcare, and essential services.

Sudan has been engulfed in fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023, as both sides compete for control amid a stalled transition to civilian rule. Last month, over 3,000 fighters—representing 98% of the state’s combat forces—were redeployed outside Khartoum. Efforts to rebuild roads, bridges, and Khartoum International Airport are underway, though drone attacks by the RSF have delayed airport reopening.

IOM data shows that Khartoum currently hosts over 3.77 million displaced people, with recent returns accounting for roughly 26% of that total. Up to 2.7 million more may return depending on security conditions. Nationwide, IOM recorded 2.6 million return movements during the same period, including over 520,000 from Egypt, South Sudan, and Libya.

The agency stressed that the humanitarian situation remains critical, particularly in Al Fasher, North Darfur, where fighting has displaced millions and left survivors facing shelling, sexual violence, and acute malnutrition. IOM echoed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call to “silence the guns” and secure lasting peace in Sudan.

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