Millions are returning to Sudan’s capital, but damaged infrastructure and limited services continue slowing post-war recovery efforts nationwide.
Khatoum
One year after the Sudanese army regained control of the capital, Khartoum, from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the city continues to struggle with the enormous task of rebuilding despite the return of more than two million displaced residents. While military authorities have promoted the recapture of the capital as the beginning of a return to normal life, widespread infrastructure damage, electricity shortages and economic hardships continue to affect daily life.
Khartoum became the centre of intense fighting after civil war erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The conflict forced around five million people to flee the capital, creating one of the largest urban displacement crises in recent history. According to officials, more than two million of those residents have now returned, although many say they had little choice but to come back.
For some families, deteriorating conditions in neighbouring Egypt played a significant role in their decision to return. Egyptian authorities introduced stricter measures affecting Sudanese refugees earlier this year, prompting many to reconsider remaining abroad despite the difficult conditions awaiting them in Sudan.
Schoolteacher Nisreen Altayeb was among those who returned with her family after leaving Sudan because of the war. She said they initially sought safety in Egypt but later felt increasingly insecure there. Hoping conditions had improved in Khartoum, they decided to return home. However, like many public sector employees, she has yet to receive her salary despite resuming efforts to return to work.
The Sudanese government, which had temporarily relocated many ministries and administrative offices to the Red Sea city of Port Sudan during the conflict, has instructed civil servants to report back to Khartoum. Educational institutions have also begun requiring students to return for classroom learning after months of online education and examinations conducted at temporary centres in other parts of Sudan and overseas.
Despite these directives, the city’s recovery remains uneven. Greater progress has been reported in Omdurman, located across the White Nile from Khartoum, where government forces maintained partial control throughout much of the conflict. In contrast, central Khartoum and the northern city of Bahri continue to experience severe shortages of electricity, clean water and other essential public services.
Officials say reconstruction efforts have been repeatedly disrupted by continued drone attacks targeting power stations and military installations around the capital. These attacks have slowed restoration work and placed additional strain on already fragile infrastructure.