Sudan: Displaced people return to Al-Jazira, Khartoum after army regains control

Hundreds of displaced Sudanese are returning to their homes in villages and cities in Al-Jazira State in the centre of the country, and the city of Bahri, north of Khartoum, after the army regained control of the areas from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

According to the Anadolu news agency correspondent, hundreds of displaced Sudanese returned to the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazira, and to villages in the state, as well as to neighbourhoods in the city of Bahri, north of Khartoum.

The correspondent pointed out that there are state and popular efforts to organise the voluntary return of displaced Sudanese, by providing transportation to their areas. This is in spite of the obstacles facing the displaced in returning, including the lack of electricity and a shortage of water.

The Sudanese army continues to make great progress in regaining control of most areas of Al-Jazira and Khartoum states, as it announced on Friday that it had taken control of the city of Abu Qota, northwest of Al-Gezira, and areas east of the Nile and the Kafouri neighbourhood in the city of Bahri.

Organising return trips

Shawqi Awad Al-Zubair, supervisor of the voluntary return of displaced persons in the Al-Jili area north of Bahri city, said: “We have started trips to return to the area after the liberation of the Al-Jili refinery and the Al-Jili area.”

Read: Sudan army captures 3 more towns from RSF

Al-Zubair added: “We started organising trips to the entire Al-Jili area, and we succeeded in returning about 800 displaced individuals.”

“So far, we have carried out about 22 trips at a rate of three buses per day since the start of the voluntary return programme for the people of Al-Jili,” he said.

He explained that “the trips are funded by contributions from the displaced themselves, in addition to contributions from philanthropists from the people of Al-Jili.”

Al-Zubair noted that the voluntary return trips were supervised by the Al-Jili Youth Initiative for Reconstruction, a voluntary civil group working to improve electricity, water and health services in the area.

About two weeks ago, the army announced its control over the Al-Jili oil refinery, after battles with the RSF, meaning it has regained complete control over the north of Bahri city.

Omar Khojali, a resident of the Shambat neighbourhood north of Bahri city, said: “I returned home and found it looted. I lost electrical appliances and many other things, but the buildings are intact, and this made me happy.”

Khojali added:, “I will work on buying the missing items in the house so that it is ready for the return of my family members.”

He pointed out that he returned with some of the neighbourhood’s youth to work on preparing the situation and working with the responsible authorities to provide services such as water, electricity, street cleaning and assistance in removing waste, so that the return would be easy for families in the neighbourhood, which witnessed battles between the army and the RSF.

On Wednesday, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced that the number of displaced people in Sudan has reached more than 15 million as a result of the fighting, including more than 3.5 million who crossed the borders to neighbouring countries.