Sudan.. Displaced people continue to return to Al-Jazeera and Khartoum
Agencies - Moatinoon
Hundreds of displaced Sudanese continue to return to their homes in villages and cities in Al-Jazeera State in the center of the country, and the city of Bahri, north of Khartoum, as a result of the army regaining control of those areas from the Rapid Support Forces.
According to the Anadolu Agency correspondent, hundreds of displaced Sudanese returned to the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazeera, and to villages in the state, as well as to neighborhoods in the city of Bahri, north of Khartoum.
The correspondent pointed out that there are governmental and popular efforts to organize the voluntary return of displaced Sudanese, by providing transportation trips to their areas.
Despite fears of the obstacles facing the displaced in returning, represented by the lack of electricity services and a shortage of water, the return to homes continues.
The Sudanese army continues to make great progress by taking control of most areas of Al-Jazeera and Khartoum states, as it announced on Friday its control of the city of Abu Qota, northwest of Al-Jazeera, and areas east of the Nile and the Kafouri neighborhood in the city of Bahri.
Organizing return trips
In turn, Shawqi Awad Al-Zubair, supervisor of the voluntary return of displaced persons in the Al-Jili area north of Bahri city, said: "We started working on trips to return to the area after the liberation of the Al-Jili refinery and the Al-Jili area."
Al-Zubair added to Anadolu Agency: "We started organizing trips to the entire Al-Jili area, and we succeeded in returning about 800 displaced persons." He continued: "We have so far carried out about 22 trips at a rate of 3 buses per day since the start of the voluntary return program for the people of Al-Jili."
He explained that "the trips are funded by contributions from the displaced themselves, in addition to contributions from philanthropists from the people of Al-Jili."
He pointed out that the voluntary return trips were supervised by the Al-Jili Youth Initiative for Reconstruction, a voluntary civil group working to improve electricity, water and health services in the area.
About two weeks ago, the army announced its control over the Al-Jili oil refinery, after battles with the Rapid Support Forces, which means its complete control over the north of Bahri city.
In the same context, Omar Khojali, a resident of the Shambat neighborhood north of Bahri city, said: "I returned home and found it looted, and I lost electrical appliances and many things, but the buildings are intact, and this made me happy."
Khojali added to Anadolu Agency: "I will work on buying the missing items in the house so that it is ready for the return of my family members."
He pointed out that he returned with some of the neighborhoods youth to work on preparing the situation and working with the responsible authorities to provide services such as water, electricity, street cleaning, and assistance in removing waste, so that the return would be easy for families in a neighborhood that was the scene of battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
On Wednesday, the International Organization for Migration announced that the number of displaced people in Sudan has reached more than 15 million as a result of the fighting, including more than 3.5 million who crossed the borders to neighboring countries.
Since mid-April 2023, the army and the Rapid Support Forces have been waging a war that has left more than 20,000 dead, according to the United Nations and local authorities, while research by American universities estimated the death toll at about 130,000.
UN and international calls are mounting to end the war in order to spare Sudan a humanitarian catastrophe that has begun to push millions of people to famine and death due to food shortages due to the fighting that has spread to 13 out of 18 states.
