The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced that more than two million displaced Sudanese and refugees have returned to their areas of origin in less than a year.
According to the UN agency, an estimated 2,004,302 people went back between November 2024 and July 2025. Of these, 1.9 million returned to their original localities—either to their homes or other forms of shelter—while the rest resettled in their states or districts but not necessarily their exact hometowns.
The majority of returnees, 1.5 million, came from within Sudan, while more than 455,000 returned from abroad. Collectively, they resettled in 1,611 sites across 39 localities in six states.
Nearly half of all returnees (48%) settled in Gezira State, followed by Khartoum (30%), Sennar (9%), Blue Nile (7%), and White Nile (5%). River Nile and West Darfur each received around 1%.
Despite 3.7 million people having fled Khartoum at the height of RSF violence, only 587,000 have returned since the army regained control in March. IOM said that 97% of families cited improved security as their main reason for returning, while others mentioned lack of resources in displacement sites, family reunification, or forced return.
