Suffering forces Sudan refugees to return to war zones

The outbreak of violence in Khartoum has forced Youssef

Saeed, 41, to flee his home in the Sudanese capital to Al Jazirah state incentral Sudan.

But he was forced to return to the violence-ridden capitalalong with his family as they ran out of cash amid the raging conflict in thecountry.

“We left our home in the first days of fighting,” Saeed toldAnadolu.

“We thought that we would be able to return in a month afterthe end of the war, but the conflict continued to rage for a long time.”

“We had to return to our home after four months as we ranout of money,” the Sudanese man said.

The decision to return to the capital was shocking toSaeed’s family.

Rent

“We had to return back home despite the constant power andwater outages,” Saeed said. “At least we now live in our house without payingmoney for rent.”

Sudan has been wired by clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group since April, in a conflict that killed thousands of people, according to local medics.

More than 5.25 million people have been displaced by the conflict, including 4.1 million within Sudan and 1.1 million in neighbouring countries, according to UN figures.

The family of Afaf Mustafa sought safety in Egypt, but thehigh rents in the Egyptian capital have made it impossible for them to stay.

“We stayed three months in Cairo, but we had to return toKhartoum due to our tough economic conditions,” Mustafa told Anadolu.

Suffering

More than 310,000 Sudanese have crossed into Egypt since thestart of violence in Sudan, according to UN refugee agency UNHCR.

The flow of Sudanese refugees into Egypt has caused monthlyrents to skyrocket.

In the Cairo suburbs of Faisal, Dokki and Giza, annual rentsrose up to nearly 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,600), leaving Mustafa’s familywith no option but to return to Khartoum.

“After suffering, we went back to Khartoum to live with ourrelatives on the outskirts of the capital until the conflict is settled,” shesaid.

In Khartoum, Mustafa had to work as a cleaner in ahealthcare facility in her neighbourhood to make ends meet for her smallfamily.

Aid shortage

Violence in the western Darfur province has forced AdamHussein to flee to neighbouring Chad with his family.

They took refuge at a camp in the eastern town of Adre nearthe border with Sudan amid scarce humanitarian aid.

“We stayed for two months there amid a severe shortage offoodstuffs and medicine,” Hussein told Anadolu.

Unable to endure the tough conditions in the refugee camp,Hussein decided to take his family back to Darfur.

“I resumed my work in land cultivation,” he said. “Thefamily is now living in appropriate conditions, and I was able to provide foodand medicine.”

Return 'expected'

Osama Tayeb, an economic expert, sees no surprise in thereturn of the Sudanese refugees to their homes.

“This was expected as many of the refugees had to flee witha small money in their possession,” Tayeb said.

He said many of the refugees expected that they would findjobs to fulfil their daily needs and pay for rent.

“But the situation on the ground tells otherwise, forcingthem to return to their homes despite the daily tragedies and disasters intheir neighbourhoods in Khartoum,” he added.