File Photo: Sudanese refugees at the Argeen land port between Sudan and Egypt. AFP
A statement released Monday, the agency said returns rose from 115,000 to over 165,000 — an increase of 50,000 people — amid shifting dynamics in Sudan’s civil conflict.
IOM described the spike as “significant,” noting that the April figure is two and a half times higher than in March. The rise follows the Sudanese army’s recent recapture of Khartoum and parts of central Sudan, prompting many refugees to attempt a return home.
Since the outbreak of war in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), more than 13 million people have been displaced — including 8.6 million internally and nearly 4 million across borders.
Egypt alone hosts over 1.5 million Sudanese, and Sudanese nationals now comprise 72 percent of all registered refugees in Egypt, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
IOM's data shows that between 1 January and 26 April 2025, more than 122,000 people returned from Egypt, nearly triple the total for all of 2024.
This year’s monthly return average has jumped to 30,700, compared to just 3,500 in 2024, a sevenfold increase.
Most crossings occurred at Ashkeet (82 percent) and Argeen (18 percent) border points. The majority of returnees were originally displaced from Khartoum (71 percent) and Gazeira state (22 percent).
“If current trends continue, hundreds of thousands could return over the next six months,” IOM stated, cautioning that these are preliminary figures pending further verification.
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