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DUBAI: Osama Al-Tayeb had barely left his home country before the war. Born and raised in Sudan, the 29-year-old lived a life rooted in familiarity, unaware that one day he would be forced to flee entirely.

The conflict, which erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, has displaced millions, forcing people like Al-Tayeb onto long, uncertain journeys.

After months of instability in Khartoum, Al-Tayeb left the capital, first traveling to Al-Jazira state before undertaking a four-day journey along the Red Sea coast to the north, eventually crossing into Egypt via Aswan and settling in Cairo.

“The situation in Cairo was good, the people there were good, but at the end of the day, it was of course difficult to be away from your home,” Al-Tayeb told Arab News.

Despite Egypt’s relative stability and safety, he felt constrained, unable to move forward with his life. Two years on from his departure, he decided to return — driven by a resolve to rebuild his life and country.

“I had to stop waiting. I had no job, so I felt I had to travel back to Sudan as the situation was getting better there.”

Now living in Port Sudan, Al-Tayeb’s return is emblematic of both opportunity and uncertainty. Though he arrived with tempered expectations, he was surprised by what he found.

“I was expecting the situation in Sudan to be more difficult than it was. However, public services, healthcare, and even electricity — despite some cuts, which were normal even before the war — were there,” he said.

Observing improvements in government operations and available work, he expressed cautious optimism. He knew of many preparing to return to Khartoum and Al-Jazira, areas far more heavily damaged by the war.

Stories like Al-Tayeb’s are becoming increasingly common, despite the conflict still raging in many parts of the country.

The war has displaced nearly 4 million people across international borders and at least 12 million internally.

owever, the UN Development Programme estimates that roughly 1.5 million refugees have returned to Sudan, with another half a million expected over the next six months.

Their return is not without peril. Luca Renda, the UNDP resident representative in Sudan, told Arab News that while Port Sudan has been relatively stable, the situation remains fragile.

He said recent drone attacks on airport facilities in the city and a surge in cholera cases elsewhere underscored that volatility.

“It’s important to understand that there have been parts of Sudan that have been relatively stable since the beginning of the conflict, and definitely Port Sudan is one of those areas,” Renda said.

For refugees dependent on aid abroad, returning to a place like Port Sudan — a relatively unscathed coastal city and the de facto capital of the SAF-led government — can feel comparatively better.

Yet in other parts of the country, specifically Khartoum and Al-Jazira, where most refugees come from, the damage is extensive if not catastrophic.

“For the great majority of Sudanese, they will find that their home has been occupied or ransacked or looted, but the extent of the damage may differ from simple looting to being completely burned down,” he said.

“In most cases, people will find that all their possessions — whatever they had of any value — have been taken. The level and extent of the repair for many families is enormous.”

Thuraya Saleh, a Sudanese writer and editor at Andariya, a magazine focused on East Africa, shared a similar story. Now based in Cairo, she spoke of her aunt, a university professor, who returned to Khartoum this year for work and was confronted with a much harsher reality.

“My aunt is a university professor, and her university demanded she go back because they’re reopening. She was told she either needs to go back or lose her job,” Saleh said.

“However, it’s fair to say that the reality there was shocking to her.”

Located in an area heavily affected by fighting, her aunt’s home had been looted and completely destroyed. Damage to local infrastructure meant basic services like water and electricity were severely limited.

“She basically couldn’t live in her home. She had to live with another relative in a safer area that did not witness a lot of fighting,” Saleh said.

Those who returned to Khartoum reported receiving just nine hours of electricity per day, while disease outbreaks were worsened by Sudan’s rainy season. Saleh said cholera cases in her aunt’s area were surging.

For Saleh herself, a return to Sudan is not yet an option.

“For me, my mom is older. She has many chronic diseases. She requires some sort of stability in life, and we need to be able to have a functioning hospital in case she needs urgent care,” she said.

“We keep saying, however, that maybe if things got more stable, then we could consider returning.”

Saleh considers herself fortunate, with the financial means to remain abroad. Many others do not have that option. Pressure to leave Egypt is growing as the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is forced to reduce financial support following cuts by USAID and other donors.

Financial concerns are not the only motive for returning.

“There are people who are going back for sentimental reasons, just because they want to live in their home,” Saleh said. “A couple of days ago, a friend told me that his aunt, who is very old, just went back because she wanted to die and be buried there.

“For others, it’s simply because they can’t afford living in Cairo any longer.”

Renda of UNDP said refugees in Egypt, the single biggest host of Sudanese refugees, are among the luckier ones, benefiting from better aid and support.

By contrast, at least a million Sudanese in Chad face far more precarious conditions. He stressed that before any mass return could occur, the country needed to resolve the conflict.

“Sudan needs a comprehensive solution,” he said. “We need to start with a ceasefire, access people in need, and then hopefully initiate some kind of transitional process that can lead to a peaceful conclusion.”

Renda highlighted some progress by authorities, aid agencies, and the UN, such as mine clearance, restoration of health facilities, containment of cholera outbreaks, and infrastructure repairs.

However, he acknowledged that UNDP had received just over $1 billion of its requested $4.2 billion, hampering its humanitarian response. He believes the conflict is still far from resolved.

“We can see maybe some partial recovery while the situation remains catastrophic in some areas,” he said. “In other parts of Sudan, particularly in the east and increasingly around Khartoum, there is gradual, slow recovery.”

Renda warned that Sudan is at risk of becoming an invisible crisis, lacking both the political engagement and financial support necessary to resolve the conflict.

Nevertheless, for young Sudanese like Al-Tayeb, the chance to rebuild his life — and his country — outweighs the uncertainties.

“For Sudanese and non-Sudanese, instead of sitting in suffering, why not come here and work here and rebuild your country?”