More Than 1.15 Million Sudanese Return Home as Humanitarian Needs Remain Severe
Credit: Council on Foreign Relations
More than 1.15 million Sudanese nationals have returned to Sudan from neighboring countries since 2024, marking a significant shift in regional displacement patterns even as millions remain refugees abroad, according to the latest UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) report.
The report, based on data collected up to 15 July 2026, shows that while approximately 4.5 million Sudanese refugees continue to live in neighboring countries, a growing number are making the journey home despite ongoing humanitarian and security challenges.UNHCR estimates that 76 percent of returnees intend to reach their original communities, although many have yet to arrive due to insecurity, damaged infrastructure and limited access to essential services.
Egypt continues to serve as the largest return route, recording 771,000 cross-border movements. Of these, 96 percent are classified as permanent returnees, with only a small proportion undertaking temporary or onward travel.
South Sudan is the second-largest corridor, with 222,000 recorded movements, of which 84 percent are permanent returnees.
Meanwhile, 82,000 movements have been recorded from Chad. Around 63 percent are permanent returns, while 20 percent involve pendular movement, where people continue crossing the border for livelihood or family reasons.
The report also indicates that returnees are predominantly young. Children aged 0–17 years account for more than half of those returning from major host countries such as Egypt and Chad. Overall, 54 percent of returnees are male and 46 percent are female.
Despite the growing number of returns, more than half of the returnees remain stranded in temporary locations instead of reaching their intended destinations.Khartoum remains the preferred destination for 58 percent of returnees, followed by Aj Jazirah (11 percent), Blue Nile (9 percent) and River Nile (4 percent).However, many families remain in transit or are temporarily settled in intermediate states due to insecurity, transport constraints and limited resources.
UNHCR border monitoring covering 5,138 individuals highlights severe humanitarian needs across return areas.
Financial assistance emerged as the most pressing concern. In Khartoum, 95 percent of returnees identified cash assistance as their highest priority, while the figure rises to 96 percent in River Nile State.
Food insecurity also remains widespread. Around 66 percent of returnees heading to Khartoum require food assistance, increasing to 80 percent among those in Gedaref State.
Healthcare services remain critically limited, with 66 percent of returnees in Blue Nile and 61 percent in Sennar reporting urgent health needs.
Access to clean water and sanitation is another major challenge. In Blue Nile, 60 percent of returnees identified safe drinking water as an immediate priority, while 43 percent cited the need for improved sanitation facilities.
The journey home continues to expose returnees to significant protection risks.
According to UNHCR, 18 percent of returnees reported being separated from family members during their return. Forty-four percent experienced lengthy administrative delays at border crossings, while 43 percent said they had faced protection risks in their host countries before returning, despite 50 percent having applied for asylum.
As increasing numbers of Sudanese return home, humanitarian agencies warn that sustained international support will be essential to address immediate humanitarian needs, facilitate safe and dignified returns, and help communities recover from the effects of prolonged conflict and displacement.
