Refugees Returning to Sudan From Egypt Have Tripled Since 2024
Monthly returns to Sudan from Egypt rose, with the International Organisation for Migration tracking a sevenfold increase.
The number of refugees returning from Egypt to Sudan rose by 50,000 in one month, according to an update from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). April’s returns were two and a half times higher than March, with crossings concentrated at the Ashkeet and Argeen border points. This brings total returns to over 165,000 amid major shifts in the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
IOM attributed the surge to the Sudanese Armed Forces’ recent recapture of Khartoum and parts of central Sudan, which have prompted many displaced people to attempt a return.
Since April 2023, over 13 million people have been displaced by the war in Sudan. Of those, nearly 4 million crossed borders, including more than 1.5 million who are currently in Egypt. Sudanese nationals make up 72% of all registered refugees in Egypt, according to UNHCR.
So far in 2025, between January 1st and April 26th, more than 122,000 people have returned from Egypt to Sudan, nearly triple the total number for all of 2024. The monthly return average has soared to 30,700 this year, up from just 3,500 in 2024. Most returnees were originally displaced from Khartoum and Gazeira state.
