Over 1,000 Sudanese voluntarily return home from Egypt

A total of 1,174 Sudanese citizens voluntarily returned home from Egypt as part of Sudan's ongoing repatriation efforts for nationals wishing to return from abroad.

A voluntary return committee organized 24 buses carrying the 1,174 Sudanese from Egypt to Sudan, the state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported Saturday.

The operation was sponsored by the General Secretariat of the Sudanese Zakat Chamber, a government body, and attended by its secretary-general, Yahya Ahmed Al-Qamrawi.

SUNA quoted Mohamed Wadaa, head of the voluntary return committee, as saying the committee is committed to continuing repatriation efforts until everyone wishing to return has been brought home.

Arrangements are also underway for the return of Sudanese nationals from Libya via the Salloum border crossing between Egypt and Libya, as well as for the return of 12 Sudanese university professors and their families, Wadaa said.

He added that priority is being given to sick and elderly citizens, who are returning to Sudan using various means of transportation, including air travel.

Earlier Saturday, Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris reaffirmed his support for the voluntary return of Sudanese nationals from host countries in a post on X.

Since the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023, more than 1.2 million Sudanese have fled to Egypt, according to official estimates.

Before the war, Egypt hosted about 5 million Sudanese, making it one of the main destinations for people fleeing the conflict.

The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023 over disagreements on integrating the paramilitary group into the military, has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands and displacing about 13 million people.