Through the “Return” Initiative, Defense Industries System Continues Breathing Life into Sudanese Cities

Port Sudan – Sudanhorizon – Telal Ismail

All along the road that crosses through River Nile State or Gezira State cities and towns, the residents of Khartoum State, which has recently emerged from war, are attracted by the sounds of buses carrying Sudanese returnees going back to their homes and childhood playgrounds, to help rebuild their areas, revive their neighborhoods a new and refresh their memories, and children’s playgrounds.

The capital, which the war has transformed into a silent city, is beginning to regain its hustle and bustle. The Nile’s waves never cease, and hopes and dreams hug at the confluence of the two Niles.

The Defense Industries System continued its humanitarian initiative to help Sudanese return from Egypt through the Voluntary Return Project (Return), supervised by the System’s Social Responsibility Department (SRSD). The fourteenth batch of buses has completed more than 100 trips since the project’s launch. The Defense Industries System has contributed to normalizing life in the states affected by the war that broke out mid-April, 2023.

The initiative has been widely welcomed by different groups within the Sudanese society, as it has contributed to the return of life to cities, providing an impetus and a sense of hope after they were reduced to ruin by the Rapid Support Forces militia.

Police Lieutenant General Hassan Mohamed Hassan, of the Retired Police Officers Committee in Egypt, has described the voluntary return project as “an inspiring model of responsible national action.”

The continuation of the voluntary return from Egypt comes as confirmation of what Umaima Abdullah, Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department at the System, stated regarding the continuation of free flights in the coming weeks and the expansion of services in coordination with the relevant authorities, under the auspices of the Director General of the Defense Industries System, Lieutenant General Mirghani Idris.

Since Saturday, 16 buses carrying more than 800 returnees have departed, including five buses from the Egyptian capital, Cairo, carrying 250 returnees, to the city of Atbara in River Nile State.

On Sunday, eight buses from Cairo, carrying 400 returnees, departed to Jebel Awliya, East Nile, the Khartoum Central Commuters Bus station, and Al-Masoudiya. On Monday, three buses carrying 150 returnees from Cairo departed to Kalakla and Al-Dakhinat.

This week’s voluntary return program comprised various categories, including police, teachers, lawyers, and media professionals.

The Sudanese Consul in Aswan Governorate, Egypt, Abdel Qader Abdullah, said that the number of Sudanese returning from Egypt to Sudan has exceeded 290,000 people from 2024 until mid-June. The Sudanese official noted that the return of Sudanese to their country is taking place in close coordination with the Egyptian authorities, who have provided facilities for the returnees, including exemptions from legal fines. The number of returnees reached 75,000 in 2024, 179,000 during the first five months of the current year, and more than 35,000 since the beginning of June alone.

The Sudanese consul attributed the accelerated pace of return to the decline in military operations and the expansion of the army’s control over large areas in the country, in addition to the contribution of community and charitable initiatives in assisting families return home.

Diplomatic sources expect the number of returnees to increase after the completion of Sudanese School Certificate Examinations in Egypt.

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