1,100 Sudanese return home from Egypt under voluntary repatriation program

A total of 1,100 Sudanese nationals returned home from Egypt under a voluntary repatriation program, the state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported.

The returnees departed Cairo aboard 22 buses organized by the Al-Amal Committee for Voluntary Return, the group said in a statement Thursday.

The Al-Amal Committee is a community-led humanitarian initiative that coordinates with Sudanese state institutions to facilitate the safe and dignified voluntary return of citizens.

Committee Executive Secretary Montaser Osman said voluntary return journeys would continue for those wishing to return and contribute to “rebuilding and reconstruction.”

He said the convoys would continue until the last Sudanese national wishing to return had done so.

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Osman described demand for the journeys as a strong indication of citizens’ desire to return home despite the challenges facing Sudan.

On Aug. 3, the committee organized seven buses carrying 350 Sudanese nationals from the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria under the same program.

Another 1,200 Sudanese returned from Egypt on July 30, bringing the number of returnees to 6,074 through six journeys under the program.

Since war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in April 2023, more than 1.2 million Sudanese have fled to Egypt, according to official estimates.

About 5 million Sudanese were already living in Egypt before the war, making it one of the main destinations for people fleeing the fighting.

By the end of 2025, about 428,676 people had voluntarily returned to Sudan, according to figures previously announced by Sudanese authorities.

The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, stemming from disputes over integrating the paramilitary force into the military, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. It has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 13 million.

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