Sudan’s displaced helped to return home after army regain control
Hundreds of displaced Sudanese people are now returning to their homes, after the army regained control of the areas from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to Middle East Monitor the displaced citizens returned to the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazira, as well as to neighbourhoods in the city of Bahri, north of Khartoum.
State and voluntary efforts have been made to organise this voluntary return, by providing transportation back to their home areas. Despite these efforts those returning home are still expected to face significant obstacles when home, including a lack of electricity and shortages of water.
The Sudanese army is currently successfully regaining control of most areas in Al-Jazira and Khartoum states, announcing on February 7th that it had gained control of the city of Abu Qota.
Shawqi Awad Al-Zubair, the supervisor for the voluntary returns of displaced people in the Al-Jili area said: “We have started trips to return to the area after the liberation of the Al-Jili refinery and the Al-Jili area.”
Al-Zubair said these trips aided in returning around 800 displaced individuals, he added that so far they had made 22 trips, sending three buses out each day. These trips are funded by contributions from displaced individuals, and by contributions from philanthropists.
The voluntary return trips are supervised by the Al-Jili Youth Initiative for Reconstruction, a voluntary civil initiative aiming to improve electricity, water and health services locally.
Young men have been amongst the first to return to the area, in order to help rebuild their homes, community, electricity, and water access before their families return.
However, although the military has won back these areas from the RSF, this does not mean the areas and their infrastructures aren’t still under possible threat. In January drone attacks from the RSF caused widespread power outages in army controlled areas, making rebuilding potentially challenging.
Middle East Monitor, Maghrebi, The Guardian
