Sudanese refugees in Cairo ready to return as gov’t regains control
Hundreds of Sudanese refugees gathered at a train station in Cairo on Monday, preparing to return home.
The Egyptian government is covering the cost of the trip to Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. Egypt, which borders Sudan to the north, currently hosts more than 1.5 million Sudanese refugees.
Since a civil war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), over seven million people have been displaced, and more than 40,000 have died.
The conflict began when Sudanese Military General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti,” fought to seize power over the nation.
The two leaders had previously worked together to remove former dictator Omar al-Bashir. However, tensions rose when Hemedti felt unwelcome by al-Burhan after he became president. Hemedti then launched a coup to gain control over the capital city.
Over the past two years, the RSF has killed innocent civilians and committed sexual violence against women and girls. The RSF has specifically targeted the Black Sudanese population, who mainly live in the south and west.
Sudan is an Arabic-speaking country with a majority Arab population. There has long been a supremacist ideology that dehumanizes Black Sudanese as “subhuman.”
In January, the U.S. Department of State, under former President Joe Biden, declared that the RSF committed genocide against the Black Sudanese population.
Officials have called the crisis in Sudan the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe, with over 15 million displaced Sudanese and more than half facing hunger.
In recent months, hopes have grown as Sudan’s military and government regained control in some areas. On March 21, the military recaptured the presidential palace, where President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan resides. On May 20, the RSF was driven out of Khartoum.
Now that government forces have retaken Khartoum, some refugees say they are ready to go home. “I am happy because I am finally going back to my family and my children,” said Awatef al Hassan, originally from Omdurman, Sudan.
