Egypt offers free transport as Sudanese refugees begin journey back to war-torn homeland

Awave of emotion swept through Cairo’s main train station Monday as hundreds of Sudanese refugees, their bags packed tight with belongings and memories, boarded trains bound for home. After months, some more than a year, spent in exile, many are returning to a homeland still marked by destruction and uncertainty.

The Egyptian government has stepped in to provide free transportation for the journey back to Khartoum, the Sudanese capital recently retaken by the Sudanese Armed Forces. For more than a year, Khartoum had been under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following the outbreak of civil war in April 2023.

What began as a power struggle between the army and the RSF has spiraled into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. Over 40,000 people have died, and more than 7 million have been displaced within Sudan. Egypt alone hosts more than 1.5 million Sudanese refugees who fled across the northern border.

Khartoum, once the heart of Sudanese governance and culture, now bears the scars of relentless fighting. Landmarks such as the presidential palace and the main airport lie in ruins, while residents trickle back to neighborhoods without stable electricity or functioning public services. Still, the city is slowly stirring to life, with reopened markets and signs of resilience.

The homecoming journey is not simple. From Cairo, travelers face a 12-hour train ride south to Aswan, followed by ferries and buses across the Sudanese border, completing a grueling 2,080-kilometer (1,292-mile) return.

Inside the station, emotions ran high.

“I am happy because I am finally going back to my family and my children,” said Awatef al Hassan, a returnee from Omdurman traveling with her daughter in an AP report.

Sudanese journalist Asem al-Taieb, one of the passengers, described the moment as a mix of sorrow and relief. “Some cried with ‘overwhelming emotions’ including sadness and joy about leaving Egypt and returning home,” he said.