Egypt provides free train rides for Sudanese refugees returning 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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Arab News
4 days ago
- Arab News
Egypt provides free train rides for Sudanese refugees returning home
CAIRO: 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.
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Egypt Provides Free Train Rides for Sudanese Refugees Returning Home
Hundreds of people 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 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.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-07-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Prince Harry Is in Angola to Raise Awareness for Land Mine Clearing, Repeating Diana's 1997 Trip
Prince Harry visited the African nation of Angola on Tuesday with a land mine clearing charity, repeating a famous trip his mother made in 1997. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, met with Angolan President João Lourenço on Tuesday at the start of his trip, according to a statement from the Halo Trust, an organization that works to clear land mines from old warzones. Princess Diana visited Angola with the Halo Trust in January 1997, just seven months before she was killed in a Paris car crash. Diana was famously photographed on that trip wearing protective equipment and walking through an active minefield during a break in fighting in Angola's long civil war. Her advocacy helped mobilize support for a treaty banning land mines later that year. This is not the first time Harry has followed in his mother's footsteps by raising awareness for the Halo Trust's work. He also visited the southern African country in 2019 for a land mine clearing project. British media reported that Harry traveled to Angola this week without his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Halo Trust CEO James Cowan said in a statement Tuesday that he and Harry met with Lourenço to discuss continued demining efforts in Angola and thanked the president for his support for that work. Angola was torn apart by a 27-year civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 2002, with some brief and fragile periods of peace in between. The Halo Trust says there are estimates that around 80,000 Angolans have been killed or injured by land mines during and after the war, although there are no exact figures. The organization says just over 1,000 minefields covering an estimated 67 square kilometers (26 square miles) still needed to be cleared at the end of 2024. Angola had set itself a goal to be land mine-free by 2025.
