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CRISIS OVERVIEW
Between December 2023 and December 2024, nearly 1,100,000 individuals had been displaced from Aj Jazirah due to ongoing conflict (IOM 09/01/2025). Since 11 January 2025, IDPs have been returning to Aj Jazirah state following the reduction in armed conflict there between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) (OCHA 23/01/2025). By 5 June 2025, over 950,200 IDPs displaced from Aj Jazirah had returned from neighbouring states, including Gedaref, Kassala, and River Nile, with more expected in the coming months (IOM 05/06/2025). Returned IDPs have settled In Sharg Al Jazirah (over 388,100), Um Algura (nearly 310,200), Janub Al Jazirah (nearly 112,000), Al Hasahisa (over 65,300), Medani Al Kubra (over 59,200), and Al Manaqil (over 15,400) localities (IOM 05/06/2025). According to available information, continuing IDP returns to Aj Jazirah have been voluntary, driven by the reduction in hostilities in the state, growing humanitarian needs, and the high cost of living in states of displacement (TNH 30/04/2025). Local authorities and mutual aid groups in states hosting IDPs from Aj Jazirah have, in some cases, supported return movements by facilitating transport (OCHA 23/01/2025; TNH 30/04/2025).
IDP returnees’ perceptions of safety, insecurity, and damage to civilian infrastructure is shaping settlement trends upon return. Key informants noted that IDP returnees are settling in rural areas and town peripheries, which they perceive as more secure and with easier access to food (KII 22/05/2025 a; KII 22/05/2025 b). As such, not all IDPs have returned to their original localities or homes (IOM 05/06/2025). These settlement patterns could mean that humanitarian needs may vary between rural and urban areas (KII 22/05/2025 a; KII 22/05/2025 b).
Access to basic needs in Aj Jazirah is constrained for both the returning population and host communities, resulting in elevated humanitarian needs (OCHA 22/05/2025; Sudan Tribune 24/05/2025; Sudan Tribune 14/04/2025). While all populations in Aj Jazirah face significant needs, the humanitarian condition of IDP returnees is especially stark, compounded by previously unmet needs in states of displacement. IDP returnees’ access to shelter is constrained by the extensive damage to houses and property sustained during the conflict, making houses uninhabitable (Xinhua 20/02/2025; JJ 04/02/2025). While IDPs are actively returning to Aj Jazirah, those with limited shelter options have settled in host communities, public buildings, or IDP camps ( IOM 05/06/2025;AJ 04/02/2025). IDP returnees with lost property, land, and ownership documents face challenges reclaiming property. Women IDP returnees, particularly from female-headed households, face challenges reclaiming property as a result of discriminatory customary practices (NRC 27/02/2024).
The return of IDPs to Aj Jazirah coincides with a deepening food crisis in the state. According to IPC projections, between January–May 2025, 68% (over 2,086,000) individuals in the state faced Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and above levels of food insecurity (IPC 24/12/2024). For the same time period, the IPC projected that nearly 51,900 individuals in Al Hasahisa, Al Kamlin, Janub Al Jazirah, and Medani Al Kubra would face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) levels of food insecurity and were at risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) conditions (IPC 24/12/2024; FAO 27/05/2025). These localities shelter significant IDP returnee populations, pointing to aggravated food needs for returnees and host communities.
Protection needs are pervasive for all populations in Aj Jazirah, including attacks against civilians by armed groups, ongoing gender-based violence (GBV) and the risk of harm from explosive ordnance. Armed groups aligned to either the SAF or RSF have perpetrated attacks against civilians with perceived affiliations to either group, including based on ethnicity (UN 17/01/2025; Radio Dabanga 18/03/2025). IDP returnees are particularly at risk of being targeted as a result of misperceived affiliation to RSF, compounding their protection needs. This risk is further aggravated for IDP returnees with lost documents, as they may be unable to prove their identity.
GBV risks are present throughout the state, but women and girls in host communities, IDPs, and IDP returnees face heightened risks of sexual violence from individuals and armed groups (Protection Cluster 29/01/2025). Rising lawlessness due to opportunistic criminality, such as assaults by gangs and the risk of SAF and RSF harassment, is deepening GBV against women and girls. In some cases, survivors of GBV returning to the state hesitated to return to places of origin because of the stigma and victimisation in the community (KII 22/05/2025 b; Sudan Tribune 15/02/2025).
Aj Jazirah is also contaminated with explosive ordnance from the conflict between the SAF and RSF (UNMAS 19/05/2025; DRC 11/04/2025). The presence of uncleared explosive ordnance in Aj Jazirah creates a significant risk of harm and health needs for those injured by the explosives. Farmers and children with limited knowledge and awareness of explosives face heightened risk of harm, as they are likely to interact with explosives in their daily activities (DRC 11/04/2025). Aj Jazirah, including IDP returnees, are at risk of harm as they turn to subsistence farming to meet urgent food needs at the household level.