Overview
- IOM, which issued its warning Tuesday, counts 3.99 million people returning mainly to Khartoum and Al-Jazirah after fleeing earlier fighting.
- More than two million additional people are expected to head back to Khartoum in 2026, which would strain damaged water, power and health services.
- Many returnees find destroyed housing and clinics, and farmers in Al-Jazirah report broken irrigation systems and equipment that threaten harvests and incomes.
- IOM says it has reached four million people since 2023, yet its 2026 plan faces a $97.2 million shortfall on a $170 million appeal, limiting repairs and livelihood support.
- Nearly nine million remain displaced inside Sudan, stretching local services in Kassala, Gedaref, Red Sea, Northern and River Nile states.