Monday, August 25, 2025
Khartoum, Sudan After years of relentless fighting that turned Sudan's capital into a battlefield, some displaced residents of Khartoum are beginning to make their way back home. But the joy of returning is quickly overshadowed by the stark reality: the city's infrastructure has been decimated, and experts warn it could take years and billions of dollars to rebuild.
Families who fled the violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are cautiously returning to neighborhoods that now bear the scars of war. Once-bustling districts are littered with destroyed buildings, collapsed bridges, gutted hospitals, and schools reduced to rubble.
Public services in Khartoum have almost completely collapsed. Electricity and water supplies remain unstable, healthcare systems are barely functional, and transportation networks have been crippled by damaged roads and destroyed bridges. Markets are struggling to reopen, while basic goods remain scarce and expensive.
"The city we left behind is not the one we are coming back to," said a returning resident. "Our homes are in ruins, and there is no clean water, no hospitals, no jobs. It feels like starting life all over again."
The Sudanese economy, already battered by years of political instability and sanctions, has been further devastated by the conflict. The World Bank and regional economists estimate that rebuilding Khartoum's infrastructure alone could cost tens of billions of dollars, a daunting figure for a country now on the brink of economic collapse.
Humanitarian agencies warn that returnees face enormous challenges, including lack of shelter, limited access to food, and the risk of disease outbreaks due to destroyed sanitation systems. Aid organizations have called for urgent international support to assist displaced families returning to the capital.
Reconstruction efforts are further complicated by Sudan's ongoing political deadlock. Despite international calls for peace, both the SAF and RSF remain locked in a bitter struggle for power, making it difficult to plan or finance long term rebuilding projects.
Analysts caution that without a political solution and sustainable ceasefire, efforts to rebuild Khartoum risk being derailed. "You cannot rebuild a city while bombs are still falling," said one regional expert.
Civil society groups have urged Sudan's transitional authorities, regional partners, and international donors to prioritize rebuilding Khartoum's essential services, such as hospitals, schools, and housing once security conditions allow. They stress that restoring the capital is not only an economic necessity but also a symbolic step toward national healing and stability.
For now, Khartoum's returning residents face the immense task of reconstructing their lives in a city that has been hollowed out by war. The path to recovery will be long, uncertain, and dependent on peace that has so far remained elusive.
Olagunju B.F
Source: Africanews.com
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