Sudanese returns, dire conditions

Nearly four million displaced Sudanese have gone back to their home areas, but many are returning to rubble, empty clinics and streets that are still unsafe. (news.un.org) The International Organization for Migration said on April 21 that about 8.9 million people are still displaced inside Sudan even after a recent rise in return movements. Its data covers the three years since war broke out on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. (news.un.org) (dtm.iom.int) The United Nations says many returnees are finding homes damaged or destroyed, water and electricity systems broken, and schools and hospitals barely functioning. Aid officials also warned this month that nearly 34 million people in Sudan need humanitarian support and that the health system is in ruins. (news.un.org 1) (news.un.org 2) (news.un.org 3) The returns are happening as the war enters its fourth year, not because the crisis is over. In places where front lines have shifted or fighting has eased, families are going back even though cholera, dengue and malaria are spreading and basic services have not recovered. (news.un.org 1) (news.un.org 2) At the same time, new evidence points to outside help keeping the conflict alive. A confidential United Nations panel report on Libya found that the Subul al-Salam Battalion, an armed group aligned with eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter, helped move Colombian mercenaries, fuel, vehicles and other equipment to support the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. (apnews.com) The Associated Press reported that the panel said the Libyan group used territory in southeastern Libya near Sudan and controlled key facilities including an airport that helped transfer arms and fighters. The report covered the period from October 2024 to February 2026 and was released on April 20. (apnews.com) That finding adds to a wider picture of a war that now runs on cross-border routes as much as local battles. The United Nations has repeatedly described Sudan as the world’s largest displacement crisis, with about 14 million people uprooted and 4.4 million driven across borders. (news.un.org 1) (news.un.org 2) The Rapid Support Forces and the army were once allies under Sudan’s military rulers, then split in a struggle over power and integration into a single national force. Their fighting started in Khartoum and spread across Darfur and other regions, wrecking civilian infrastructure along the way. (news.un.org) (news.un.org) The United Arab Emirates has long denied backing the Rapid Support Forces, even as Sudan’s authorities and outside investigators have accused foreign networks of supplying the paramilitary group. The AP report says the new United Nations findings focus on Libyan support and do not accuse the Libyan national army itself of direct involvement. (apnews.com) For civilians, the result is that “return” often means sleeping in a damaged house, searching for water and hoping the shooting does not start again. Sudanese families are moving home on paper while much of the country remains unlivable in practice. (news.un.org)