Egypt to run special train for Sudanese returning home

Ahram Online , Sunday 20 Jul 2025

Egypt's national railway announced on Monday that it will operate a designated train to facilitate the return of Sudanese nationals and their families to their homeland.

Sudanese families residing in Egypt board their bus at Mohamed Naguib metro station in Abdeen, downtown Cairo, heading south to Abu Simbel — the first leg of their journey back to Sudan. Photos: Shahd Hashem

The move comes “within the … cooperation and close fraternal relations” between Egypt and Sudan, the Egyptian National Railways Authority said in a statement on Sunday.

Train number 1940, a third-class air-conditioned service, will depart Cairo at 11:00 AM on Monday and arrive in Aswan at 11:00 PM.

From Aswan, the Sudanese will continue their journey to Sudan via the High Dam Port, a Nile access to the neighbouring nation.

Egyptian Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir has instructed railway officials to provide all necessary services to ensure the comfort and safe arrival of the Sudanese passengers, the statement added.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has reported a rise in voluntary returns of displaced Sudanese from neighbouring countries since January 2025, citing an improved security situation in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Egypt, a haven for refugees fleeing conflicts besetting various neighbouring nations in recent years, currently accommodates the largest share of Sudanese who have fled their country since the outbreak of intense conflict.

Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating conflict that erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

This nearly two-year war has plunged the nation into what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The UN estimates that approximately 13 million people have been displaced either internally or externally, with over 3.5 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, including Egypt, Chad, and South Sudan.

The recent influx of Sudanese refugees has significantly augmented the existing Sudanese population in Egypt. Government officials recently estimated the total number of Sudanese residing in the country at 5.5 million.

According to a recent statement from Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), the country hosts an estimated nine million refugees in total, including four million from Sudan.

In recent months, this influx has ignited a public debate within Egypt regarding the unprecedented pressure it places on the nation’s public services and infrastructure.