The early light spread across the city as Abdulilah Mohamed walked back to where he once lived in Sharg Elnil, Khartoum. He came home after running away from the civil war that tore through Sudan. Broken streets led him to what remained of his house, barely standing after two years of fighting between Sudan's army and the RSF forces. The sight made his heart heavy.
"They took everything. They broke everything," he said about the RSF as he looked at his damaged walls and scattered family items. Mohamed explained he came first to check if his loved ones could return safely. He wanted to see the truth before his family arrived, unprepared for what they might find. The war had changed everything about the place they once called home.
Mohamed shares this painful story with the millions who fled greater Khartoum when fighting exploded in April 2023. The area includes three cities: Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri. People fled when the army and RSF started fighting just before civilians were supposed to take control of the government. Many neighborhoods disappeared completely, though parts of Omdurman kept some basic services working during the war.
As the army pushes RSF fighters back and controls more ground, some brave people slowly return home. Huda Ibrahim left for Port Sudan, over 500 miles away from Khartoum, but always dreamed of coming back. "We had to stay away," she said from her bus heading toward the capital. The driver, Mohamed Ali, noticed something different about returning passengers. "You can feel they seem safer," he told Reuters.
The path home remains full of problems for most people. This war has killed countless Sudanese citizens and forced millions to leave their homes. "They fight against regular people, not just the government," Mohamed says about the ongoing conflict. More residents will return only if the government rebuilds what was lost. Rayan Khaled, who came back from Egypt, points out the biggest problems - no electricity or basic services make daily life almost impossible.
"They took everything. They broke everything," he said about the RSF as he looked at his damaged walls and scattered family items. Mohamed explained he came first to check if his loved ones could return safely. He wanted to see the truth before his family arrived, unprepared for what they might find. The war had changed everything about the place they once called home.
Mohamed shares this painful story with the millions who fled greater Khartoum when fighting exploded in April 2023. The area includes three cities: Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri. People fled when the army and RSF started fighting just before civilians were supposed to take control of the government. Many neighborhoods disappeared completely, though parts of Omdurman kept some basic services working during the war.
As the army pushes RSF fighters back and controls more ground, some brave people slowly return home. Huda Ibrahim left for Port Sudan, over 500 miles away from Khartoum, but always dreamed of coming back. "We had to stay away," she said from her bus heading toward the capital. The driver, Mohamed Ali, noticed something different about returning passengers. "You can feel they seem safer," he told Reuters.
The path home remains full of problems for most people. This war has killed countless Sudanese citizens and forced millions to leave their homes. "They fight against regular people, not just the government," Mohamed says about the ongoing conflict. More residents will return only if the government rebuilds what was lost. Rayan Khaled, who came back from Egypt, points out the biggest problems - no electricity or basic services make daily life almost impossible.
