Khartoum welcomes over 2 million returnees as power stays at one‑third and UN flags genocide evidence

More than two million of the five million people who fled Khartoum after the army recaptured the capital from the Rapid Support Forces in 2023 have returned, but essential services remain crippled. The city receives about one‑third of its pre‑war electricity, enough for roughly eight hours a day, according to spokesperson Altayeb Saadeldin. The government has ordered civil servants and students to resume work and classes, yet many public‑sector workers, including teacher Nisreen Altayeb, have not received salaries. "We left Sudan in the first place because of the lack of security, but then we started finding the same thing. It wasn’t safe in Egypt," Altayeb said, referring to a crackdown on Sudanese refugees in Egypt.

Small business owners in the central Souq al‑Arabi market also face hardships. Print‑shop owner Mohamed Abdelbasit complained, "Our income is very low now. They need to help us to come back, to encourage us to come back," as tax collection resumes despite limited power and damaged infrastructure. RSF drone strikes continue to target power stations and military sites, hampering repairs.

Amid the humanitarian crisis, a United Nations investigation released new evidence of genocide, prompting the European Union to warn of consequences for attacks on civilians in El‑Obeid. The war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, has displaced more than eight million people and left the country's infrastructure devastated.