KHARTOUM / Adel Abdel Raheem / Anadolu

The Hope Committee for Voluntary Return in Sudan announced Thursday the return of about 1,000 Sudanese citizens from Egypt on 20 buses, bringing the total returnees during the current July to more than 3,800.

The official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported that 20 buses carrying about 1,000 Sudanese departed from the Abdeen area in central Cairo heading to their country, under the sponsorship of the General Secretariat of the Sudanese Zakat Chamber.

Hassan Khaled, rapporteur of the Hope Committee for Voluntary Return, said that the transport operations for those wishing to return will continue 'until the last Sudanese wishing to return from Egypt to the country has returned.'

Khaled pointed to a 'large turnout' for the voluntary return program, especially among male and female university students.

The new batch comes days after the transfer of 900 Sudanese on 18 buses from Cairo on July 13 of this month.

Additionally, 800 Sudanese were transported to their country on July 9, preceded by 1,174 others on the 4th of the same month, as part of the voluntary return programs implemented by the committee.

Thus, the total number of Sudanese returning from Egypt through the program during current July has exceeded 3,800 people.

Since the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023, more than 1.2 million Sudanese have headed to Egypt, according to official estimates, while about 5 million Sudanese were residing there before the war, making it one of the main destinations for those fleeing the conflict.

According to figures previously announced by the Sudanese ambassador to Egypt, Abdel Qader Abdullah, about 428,676 people had voluntarily returned to Sudan by the end of 2025.

The return operations came following an initiative launched by the Egyptian authorities in October 2025 to transport those wishing to return via a dedicated train from Cairo to Aswan, ahead of continuing their journey to Sudan.

The Hope Committee for Voluntary Return, a civil humanitarian initiative, works in coordination with Sudanese state institutions to facilitate the safe and organized return of those wishing to go back to their country.

The ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023 has left tens of thousands dead and caused the displacement and refuge of about 13 million people, according to UN and international estimates.