Over 2 Million Return to Khartoum but More Than 3 Million Stay Away One Year After Army Recapture

More than 2 million of the 5 million residents who fled Khartoum have returned in the year since the Sudanese army recaptured the city from a paramilitary force. Al-Monitor reported that the paramilitary group had seized the capital at the start of Sudan's civil war in 2023. Authorities had promised a rapid return to normal life after the military victory.

Power remains mostly unavailable, buildings stay damaged and many workers receive no pay, according to the report. The government ordered civil servants to resume work in Khartoum after earlier evacuating ministries to Port Sudan. Students previously allowed online classes and exams at temporary sites have been directed back to city classrooms.

Recovery remains concentrated in Omdurman, where the army kept partial control during the conflict. Khartoum proper and Bahri city to the north continue without electricity and most other services. The paramilitary force has kept striking power stations and military sites around Khartoum with drones.

Altayeb Saadeldin, spokesman for the Khartoum state government, said electricity now operates at one-third of pre-war capacity and is supplied for eight hours daily. Nisreen Altayeb, a schoolteacher, returned from Egypt after a refugee crackdown began there around the start of 2026. She has not received her salary since resuming work.

Small business owners in the central Souq al-Arabi market face tax collection despite limited access to power and other services. Mohamed Abdelbasit, who runs a print shop, said authorities should delay fees until basic support improves. University of Khartoum officials stated that rehabilitation of labs, lecture halls and dormitories continues ahead of the new semester later this year.