The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reopened its office in Khartoum to expand humanitarian and recovery operations, marking the first UN agency presence in the city since conflict erupted in April 2023. This return comes at a critical time, as over two million people have come back to areas perceived as safer, with Khartoum alone expecting 2.1 million returnees this year compared to an estimated five million displaced at the peak of fighting.
IOM Director General Amy Pope highlighted the challenges faced by families returning to urban areas, noting that communities are stretched thin by years of displacement and economic hardship. Returns are not limited to Khartoum; between November 2024 and July 2025, nearly two million people returned across 1,611 locations in Sudan, including Aj Jazirah, Sennar, Blue Nile, White Nile, River Nile, and West Darfur, with most returning from within the country.
Many returnees find their homes damaged or uninhabitable, with scarce electricity, clean water, and limited health care. The threat of cholera and unexploded ordnance adds to the dangers in residential areas, near schools, and along access roads. The reopened IOM office will act as an inter-agency hub, enabling the UN and humanitarian partners to scale up life-saving assistance and early recovery support in urban areas where needs are concentrated.
In the first half of 2025, IOM provided humanitarian aid to over 600,000 people in Sudan, including access to clean water, protection services, health care, and mental health and psychosocial support. Despite these efforts, funding remains insufficient to meet the scale of needs, prompting IOM to work closely with authorities and partners to ensure access to essential services for both returnees and residents who never left, recognizing that recovery requires rebuilding entire communities.
The conflict continues in regions such as Kordofan and Darfur, where violence and the ongoing siege of El Fasher have caused catastrophic civilian suffering and famine conditions. Humanitarian access remains limited due to insecurity and funding constraints, threatening fragile recovery gains.
Sudan’s war has displaced over 14.2 million people, including 10 million internally and 4.2 million across borders. To accelerate relief and recovery efforts in Khartoum, IOM is appealing for USD 29 million in flexible funding and urges all parties to allow safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access.
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