At least 2 million of the 5 million Sudanese who fled their homes in the capital, Khartoum, have returned home.
Life is slowly resuming in several other towns ust like the city, after a military victory against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
Khartoum’s city centre, once home to bustling markets, towering businesses and wealthy districts, remains a ghost town, a mass grave and a minefield.
Power is constantly out as water shortage becoming the norm. But despite decimated infrastructure, those coming back were overwhelmed by the thought of seeing their city for the first time in years.
But although the authorities promised a quick restoration of normal life after their military victory, power is still mostly out, buildings remain damaged and workers are going unpaid. Some say they have come back only as a last resort, fleeing a crackdown on refugees in neighbouring Egypt. Fewer than 80,000 people have come back to central Khartoum, according to the United Nations.
A quick drive through downtown Khartoum leaves little to the imagination. The battles went street by street, first in April 2023 when the paramilitaries swept through town, and again last year when the army and allied fighters forced their way bck.
