IOM Reports Mass Returns of Displaced Sudanese Amid Improved Security
Nearly two million Sudanese displaced by war have gone back to their homes over the past nine months, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported Monday.
In a statement, the UN agency said 2,004,302 people had returned between November 2024 and July 2025, including 1.9 million who went back to their original towns and villages. More than 1.5 million returned from inside Sudan, while over 455,000 came back from abroad, resettling across 1,611 sites in six states.
The largest share of returnees headed to Gezira (48%), followed by Khartoum (30%), Sennar (9%), Blue Nile (7%), and White Nile (5%). Only about 1% went to River Nile and West Darfur.
Although 3.7 million fled Khartoum during the Rapid Support Forces’ offensive, just 587,000 have returned so far since the army retook the capital earlier this year.
IOM noted that 97% of returnees cited better security as their main reason for returning, while others mentioned inadequate resources in displacement areas, family reunification, or involuntary return. Most families (93%) have resettled in their damaged or destroyed homes, with the remainder finding shelter in camps, host families, rented housing, or public facilities such as schools.
