The return of the displaced and refugees driven from their homes by the war remains central to discussions among Sudanese people, as one of the issues most closely tied to the war’s outcome and the prospects for national recovery. What inspires optimism is the noticeable acceleration in returns, particularly from Egypt, which has hosted large numbers of Sudanese since the outbreak of the war. This growing wave of return reflects not only a relative improvement in security and basic services, but also sends a clear message: Sudanese people remain determined to overcome destruction and rebuild life despite all the challenges.
That optimistic tone was evident in a BBC World Service program aired this week titled “Return to Khartoum: War, Loss and Hope.” The residents interviewed in Khartoum spoke with hope rather than despair, expressing their joy at seeing people return to their homes and shops, repair work beginning, and social ties severed by war slowly being restored.
Khartoum did not appear in the program as a city whose spirit had collapsed alongside its damaged buildings, but rather as a city trying to heal its wounds and recover its soul despite the immense challenges.
The story of Duaa, a Sudanese artist and activist, was among the program’s most moving accounts. She was pregnant when the war broke out but chose to remain in Khartoum. She spoke of two years of severe suffering and fear that did not end until the army entered the capital and retook it from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). She recounted incidents of looting, beatings, assaults, and rape carried out by RSF fighters, as well as the climate of fear imposed on residents by the group’s practices. She said she knew women who were unable to leave their homes for fear of assault, and that some had not stepped outside at all until the army entered the city.
When asked how she felt the moment the army arrived, she replied simply: “We were extremely happy.” She then added that for nearly two years she had been unable to sleep at night, and that the very first thing she did after the army arrived was sleep through the entire day. It was a sentence that captured the meaning of safety more powerfully than any political speech.
Duaa says she is now trying to relearn how to walk without fear, how to laugh and experience joy naturally again. She speaks happily about her infant son watching the lights come back on after electricity was restored following a long outage.
As I listened to the program, two thoughts came to mind. The first was the profound sense of relief and security expressed by civilians in every area retaken by the army. The second was the determination shown by returnees to rebuild and restore what had been destroyed.
Duaa is not the only member of the December Revolution generation who chose to remain in Sudan after the war began. Others volunteered to fight alongside the army. Their stories stand in stark contrast to the rhetoric of those who now exploit the revolution’s name while attacking the army at every turn and seeking to weaken it in pursuit of a destructive political struggle that makes no distinction between protecting the nation and pursuing political rivalries.
Nor is Duaa’s account exceptional when it comes to the sense of security felt in areas returned to army control. Time and again, scenes have emerged of residents celebrating the army’s arrival and the liberation of their areas from RSF control, alongside long lines of civilians fleeing RSF-held territories toward army-controlled areas in search of protection and safety.
It is therefore unsurprising that a deep psychological divide has emerged between most Sudanese people and the RSF after the violations and destruction associated with the group during the war. This was reflected clearly in the controversy and anxiety sparked by the appearance of individuals wearing RSF uniforms in the streets of Khartoum and Omdurman following the defection of al-Nur al-Qubba, one of the group’s prominent commanders, who joined the army with his forces.
While many Sudanese understand the army’s reasons for welcoming defectors from the RSF at a time when signs of fragmentation within the group continue to grow, large segments of society remain deeply uneasy about seeing RSF fighters return to the capital. They do not want a repeat of the mistake made by former president Omar al-Bashir, who brought these forces into Khartoum believing they would protect his rule, only for them to become a disaster for both his regime and the Sudanese people.
What Sudanese people want today is a capital free of weapons and military displays, not only because this is essential for restoring security and encouraging people to return, but because it is one of the most important lessons of the war itself.
Life is gradually returning to Khartoum, and with it comes renewed hope that Sudan can recover from the nightmare it has endured. There are undoubtedly voices attempting to spread despair or question the value of returning, but their influence appears to be fading in the face of scenes of people reclaiming their homes and the resilience of those who chose to remain through the harshest circumstances.
