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Egypt provides free train rides for Sudanese refugees returning home

Egypt provides free train rides for Sudanese refugees returning home

CAIRO (AP) — Hundreds of people who have been displaced by fighting in Sudan gathered Monday at the central train station in Cairo to begin a free journey home.
The Egyptian government is funding train rides to Khartoum, Sudan's capital, which recently was recaptured by the Sudanese Armed Forces from its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.
Sudan has been in the throes of civil war since April 2023. The battle for power between the military and the RSF has caused a humanitarian crisis. Over 40,000 people have been killed and the war has caused one of the world's largest displacement emergencies.
Egypt hosts the largest number of Sudanese refugees from the war with over 1.5 million people who fled north across the border. Over 7 million have been displaced internally as the war engulfed much of the country. The RSF took Khartoum at the start of the fighting in 2023 and held the capital until the government declared its recapture on May 20.
Khartoum was largely destroyed, including the presidential palace and the airport, but is experiencing a slow rebirth as residents return and markets reopen. Electricity and basic services are not fully operational around the city.
The journey from Cairo to Khartoum is about 2,080 kilometers (1,292 miles) and will include a train ride of about 12 hours to the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, where riders will change to ferries and buses to cross into Sudan.
People packed their lives in small suitcases as they as they filled the train Monday. Some cried with 'overwhelming emotions' including sadness and joy about leaving Egypt and returning home, said Sudanese journalist Asem al-Taieb, one of the train riders.
'I am happy because I am finally going back to my family and my children,' said Awatef al Hassan, originally from Omdurman, Sudan, who is returning with her daughter.
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Parts of the Appalachian Trail are still damaged after Helene. Volunteers are fixing it by hand
Parts of the Appalachian Trail are still damaged after Helene. Volunteers are fixing it by hand

Winnipeg Free Press

time4 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Parts of the Appalachian Trail are still damaged after Helene. Volunteers are fixing it by hand

UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (AP) — In a rugged patch of the Appalachian Trail in eastern Tennessee, volunteers size up a massive, gnarled tree lying on its side. Its tangled web of roots and dark brown soil, known as a root ball, is roughly the size of a large kiddie pool. The collection of volunteers and staff from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and local organizations, doesn't plan to move the tree. Instead, their job is filling the gaping holes left by it and many other downed trees along iconic East Coast trail. Almost a year since Hurricane Helene tore through the mountains of the Southeast, restoration is still ongoing. In places like the Appalachian Trail it's powered primarily by volunteers, at a time when federal resources are strained and uncertain. That labor, made up of people spanning several generations and continents, aims to not only return the trail to its former glory but make it more resilient against future inclement weather. 'Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Appalachian Trail,' said Jake Stowe, a program support specialist with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Stretching more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) miles from Georgia to Maine, the trail attracts more than 3 million people every year, according to the conservancy. Some committed hikers traverse its entire length to cross it off their bucket list. Others visit sporadically just to indulge in its scenic views. Last September, Helene killed more than 200 people and wrecked entire towns. Many rural businesses have struggled due to the drop in tourism, Stowe said, such as in places seeing fewer trail hikers. Directly after the storm, more than 430 miles (690 kilometers) of the trail were closed, the conservancy said. That's down to 5 miles (8 kilometers) today. Hikers still have to take detours around two damaged sections of the trail, both in Tennessee, according to the conservancy. One spot where a bridge collapsed requires a 3.6-mile (5.8-kilometer) walking detour. The other location is near the destroyed Cherry Gap Shelter, where an Associated Press journalist accompanied volunteers this week making the area passable again for visitors who currently have to take a 6-mile (10 kilometer) detour. Fixing trails is hard work Local groups typically take on day-to-day trail maintenance, such as hacking back plant overgrowth, Stowe said. Larger organizations like the Appalachian Trail Conservancy step in to assist with severe damage, although in Helene's case, safety concerns delayed restoration. 'At the time, we weren't really in the position to put people in the woods,' Stowe said. 'It was such bad damage that it was just- you couldn't safely do that.' The area near Cherry Gap has already been 'sawed out,' meaning downed trees that blocked the trail have been cut and moved out of the way. But root balls are still a major problem because of how labor-intensive it is to deal with them. When a tree tips over, the root ball lifts a big chunk of earth with it. Filling that hole can sometimes take a week, said Matt Perrenod, a crew leader with the conservancy. The trail runs along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains, and that rough terrain means crews must rely on hand tools like shovels, rakes and pruners to do the job, rather than heavy equipment. The conservancy also has to consider more sustainable improvements to the trail, such as building steps or features like water bars, which are essentially little ditches that divert rainfall off the side of the trail. It's a slow process, Perrenod said, but a worthwhile venture to improve the experience of hikers. 'You don't actually want to think about the thing you're walking on very much. You just want to walk on it,' said Perrenod, who hiked the Appalachian Trail's entirety about a decade ago. 'Well, if we don't do the work, you won't be able to do that. You'll spend all your time climbing over this tree and walking around that hole.' Volunteers travel the world to help out Partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service has long been a critical component of preserving the Appalachian Trail. Through contracts, Perrenod said the agencies fund equipment, gas and the wages of some Appalachian Trail Conservancy staff members like himself. The Forest Service also helps the group lug their gear up to the trail, he said. That's why Perrenod says it's imperative the federal government does not slash those agencies' budgets and workforces. Disrupting support for volunteers could be detrimental for the trail's restoration, as volunteers provide 'a lot of muscle' to complete the vast majority of its maintenance, he said. In Helene's aftermath, volunteerism across the region was 'super high' because everyone wanted to help, Stowe said. This year, interest in volunteering has dipped, Stowe said, but he's heard from people all over the country — and the world — who cited Helene as a major reason they wanted to come out and help. Among the volunteers on the July maintenance trip were three visitors from Japan who work on long-distance trails back home. They were enthusiastic to learn about best practices for improving trail longevity and take those ideas back to Japan. The trio was also motivated by their own experience with natural devastation. After Japan's massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, volunteer Kumi Aizawa said people from across the globe came to rebuild. By restoring part of the Appalachian Trail, she's returning the favor. ___ Seminera reported from Raleigh, North Carolina.

The reverse migration: African Americans relocating to Kenya cite heritage and restoration
The reverse migration: African Americans relocating to Kenya cite heritage and restoration

Toronto Star

time6 hours ago

  • Toronto Star

The reverse migration: African Americans relocating to Kenya cite heritage and restoration

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenneth Harris spent most of his days in Atlanta yearning for a life in a place where his dark skin color is not a source of suspicion, but a mark of a shared heritage. His chance came two years ago when he bought a one-way ticket to Kenya. The 38-year-old retired veteran has found a community in the east African country's capital, where he now runs an Airbnb business. He loves admiring Nairobi's golden sunset from a rooftop terrace, and enjoys a luxurious lifestyle in a tastefully furnished apartment in an upmarket neighborhood.

The reverse migration: African Americans relocating to Kenya cite heritage and restoration
The reverse migration: African Americans relocating to Kenya cite heritage and restoration

Winnipeg Free Press

time6 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

The reverse migration: African Americans relocating to Kenya cite heritage and restoration

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenneth Harris spent most of his days in Atlanta yearning for a life in a place where his dark skin color is not a source of suspicion, but a mark of a shared heritage. His chance came two years ago when he bought a one-way ticket to Kenya. The 38-year-old retired veteran has found a community in the east African country's capital, where he now runs an Airbnb business. He loves admiring Nairobi's golden sunset from a rooftop terrace, and enjoys a luxurious lifestyle in a tastefully furnished apartment in an upmarket neighborhood. Harris is part of a growing wave of African Americans who are relocating to Kenya, citing the need to connect with their ancestors — or 'coming home,' a phrase often used among the Black community. Like dozens of other African Americans who have moved to Nairobi in recent years, Harris was attracted to Kenya's tropical climate and what he describes as the warmth and friendliness of the people he believes he shares a history and culture with. In search of community and a better life 'I have always had that adventurous spirit, especially when I joined the military and got to go to different countries. So I am taking the opportunity to venture out to new places,' he said. 'That is what allowed me to make a home away from home and Kenya is my new home.' Some friends have reaching out to him to explore a 'change from the U.S for their peace of mind,' he said. Several other African Americans who have 'come home' like him have set up thriving businesses in Nairobi that include travel agencies, restaurants and farms. Many African Americans who have sought a better life abroad or are considering it said President Donald Trump's administration — with its crackdown on diversity programs — isn't the main reason they want to move. Rather, most say they had been mulling a move for some time, and the current political environment in the U.S. may be pushing them to act sooner than initially planned. 'I can't say the administration is the reason why the people I know want to part ways from America. Some are planning to move for a better quality of living life,' Harris said. Auston Holleman, an American YouTuber who has lived in various countries for almost a decade, said he settled on Kenya nine months ago because people 'look like me.' 'It is not like going to Europe or going to some Latin American countries where there are not many Black people,' he said. Holleman, who often films his daily life, said he felt that the social fabric in the U.S. was 'broken.' In contrast, he said he felt socially accepted in Kenya. He cited an experience when his taxi driver's car stopped, and in five minutes they got help from a random stranger. 'That made me realize I was in the right place,' he said. Growing numbers are interested in leaving the US Other African countries have attracted even larger numbers of African Americans. Ghana, which launched a 'Year of the Return' program to attract the Black diaspora in 2019, said last year it held a ceremony that granted citizenship to 524 people, mostly Black Americans. African American businesses such as Adilah Relocation Services have seen a notable rise in the number of African Americans seeking to move to Kenya. The company's founder, Adilah Mohammad, moved to Kenya four days after her mother's funeral in search of healing. She says the peace and restoration she experienced in Kenya made her stay — and advocate for those searching for the same. Her company helps clients relocate by house hunting, shopping for furniture and ensuring banking and medical services are seamless. 'There are 15 families that have come so far, and we have five more on the calendar that are coming in the next 90 days. We have people that have booked for 2026 with no date, they just know that they are leaving,' she says. Mohammad said many African Americans have been planning their move for decades. 'For me it is a movement. It is people deciding to make a choice for themselves, they are not being forced, shackles are being broken. When they say they are coming home, they are choosing to be free and it is mental freedom and so I am ecstatic,' she says. Experts say African economies are likely to benefit from these moves, especially from those willing to tackle corruption and create a healthy environment for investors. Raphael Obonyo, a public policy expert at U.N-Habitat, says the U.S is losing resources — as well as the popular narrative that America is the land of opportunities and dreams. 'This reverse migration is denting that narrative, so America is most likely to lose including things like brain drain,' he explained. For Mohammad, the sense of belonging has given her peace within. 'I love being here. Returning to Africa is one thing, but finding the place that you feel like you belong is another,' she said. _____________ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at

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