Sudan internal displacement drops to 8.8 million as returns rise, UN says
June 15, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – The number of internally displaced persons in Sudan has fallen to 8.8 million, driven by a significant increase in people returning to their home areas, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.
The current figure represents a 24% decrease from the peak of 11,585,384 displaced individuals recorded in January 2025. The U.N. migration agency attributed this decline to rising return rates following the Sudanese army’s recapture of Khartoum, Sennar, and Al Jazirah states.
According to the IOM report, Sudan’s internally displaced population now stands at 8,805,506 people, representing 1,766,946 families. Meanwhile, the number of returnees has climbed to 4,441,570 individuals across 886,508 families.
The agency has documented 847 incidents triggering displacement nationwide since the conflict began, including armed combat, tribal clashes, floods, and fires.
The Darfur region hosts 64% of all displaced people in the country. South Darfur has a population of 1,763,672, while North Darfur has 1,688,737. Central Darfur is home to 992,555 people, with the remainder scattered across the region’s eastern and western areas.
The Tawila locality in North Darfur, controlled by the Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Abdel Wahid Mohamed Nur, remains one of the most congested areas, sheltering 707,000 displaced persons.
Despite the overall downward trend in displacement this year, the IOM noted that 59,742 people fled their homes in the Blue Nile region following attacks by a coalition comprising the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.
Data shows that 38% of the displaced population, or 678,861 families, live with host families, while 507,455 families reside in gathering sites and informal camps.
Urban areas shelter 59% of the displaced, compared to 41% in rural zones. In Red Sea State, 97% of displaced persons are concentrated in cities due to the availability of services and documentation. Conversely, rural areas house 75% of the displaced in Northern State, 73% in North Darfur, and 73% in West Kordofan.
The report tracked 4,441,570 returnees across 74 localities in nine of Sudan’s 18 states. Khartoum received the highest number of returnees, at 2,114,372, followed by Gezira with 1,210,590. North Darfur and Sennar recorded 263,311 and 240,923 returnees, respectively.
The majority of returnees, totalling 3,665,829 people (83%), moved back from other locations within Sudan, while 775,741 individuals returned from abroad.
Egypt accounted for 46% of cross-border returnees. Since the war erupted in April 2023, some 1.5 million of the 4.6 million people who fled Sudan crossed into Egypt. Other returnees arrived from South Sudan, Libya, the Gulf states, Chad, and Uganda.
Improved security was cited by 87% of returning families as the primary reason for their move. The remaining families linked their return to depleted financial resources in areas of displacement or family reunification.
Motivations varied by state. Improved security prompted over 95% of returns to Al Jazhirah, Blue Nile, River Nile, and Sennar. In contrast, all 263,311 returnees to North Darfur cited the exhaustion of financial resources as their sole driver.
The IOM stated that 93% of returning families moved back into their original homes, even though 60% of those properties had sustained damage, highlighting the challenging living conditions facing returnees.