Sudan to start voluntary repatriation flights for refugees in Uganda

February 16, 2026 (KAMPALA) – The high committee for the voluntary return of Sudanese in Uganda announced on Sunday that the first evacuation flights to Sudan will begin on February 20 from Entebbe Airport to Port Sudan.

Uganda hosts approximately 92,000 Sudanese refugees. Between 10% and 13% of them are settled in the capital, Kampala, while the remainder reside in the Kiryandongo refugee camp, the primary reception and registration centre.

Committee spokesperson Reem Abdel Jalil told Sudan Tribune that the voluntary return project will be officially launched on February 19 at the Sudanese embassy in Kampala, with the inaugural flight scheduled for the following day.

The first flight, operated by Tarco Aviation, will carry 146 Sudanese citizens and four committee members from Entebbe to Port Sudan, Abdel Jalil said.

She added that the committee is coordinating with the army-led Defence Industries System to transport returnees from Port Sudan to safe states within the country.

Uganda maintains a progressive refugee policy, granting displaced persons the right to own property, move freely, work, and establish businesses in any city.

According to Abdel Jalil, 4,818 people have registered for voluntary return through the committee’s online platform, a number she expects to rise once the first flight is completed.

Committee members plan to meet with Sudanese government officials to secure the funding needed for repatriation programs from Uganda.

During a recent visit to Uganda, the deputy chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, Malik Agar, pledged to support the voluntary return initiative.

United Nations data shows that 721,000 Sudanese have returned from neighbouring countries since July 2024, out of a total of 4.4 million people who fled their homes after the conflict began.