PORT SUDAN, Sudan, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- In a scene where tears mingled with smiles, Port Sudan International Airport welcomed on Friday the first group of Sudanese refugees voluntarily returning from Uganda, nearly three years after war forced them to flee.
The first flight carrying them, chartered by a non-governmental committee in Uganda, touched down with 150 returnees on board, most originally from the capital, Khartoum.
Emotions ran high in the arrivals hall, where families reunited and some returnees knelt to kiss the ground.
Hamouda Ibrahim, one of the returnees, told Xinhua that they left because of war and stayed in Uganda for three difficult years.
"We struggled with limited access to education and a lack of job opportunities," he recalled, carrying a small bag that held the few belongings he had left. "Daily life was filled with challenges, both big and small."
Fighting back tears, he added, "Exile is not easy. Every day we felt cut off from our roots, our families, and our memories. My children kept asking when we would return to our home, their school, their friends -- and I never had a clear answer."
"But we never gave up hope of coming back. Today, as I set foot on my homeland, I feel as if I've been born again," he said.
Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been engaged in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions both within Sudan and beyond.
As government forces have regained control over large parts of central Sudan, the number of returnees has risen in recent months. Official figures indicate the largest influx has been into Khartoum State, home to the capital.
Still, returning home does not mean returning to stability.
"I know rebuilding our lives in Khartoum won't be easy -- from finding a place to live to securing work and restoring some sense of normal family life," Ibrahim said.
Nafisa Hassan, another returnee, gently stroked her daughter's head as the child clung to her dress. Coming home was their "only real choice," she said.
In exile, the mother always promised her daughter that they would return home -- a place she now barely remembers -- and that she would play again in the neighborhood she was born in, Hassan said, her voice blending longing and hope.
"But I worry that life there will be hard at first. Everything has changed, and schools and services need to be rebuilt," she said.
"We'll need patience. We're starting from scratch -- finding work and securing a decent life for our children," she added.
On Jan. 29, the International Organization for Migration reported that more than three million people had returned to their areas of origin in Sudan, despite the extensive damage to housing, basic services and vital infrastructure.
The organization warned that the return could become "another chapter of hardship," and called for sustained funding to meet growing needs in return areas.
Ali Abdul-Rahman, another passenger on the flight, told Xinhua that arriving in Port Sudan felt wonderful, but returning to daily life would be another story.
"Homes have been destroyed, services have stopped, and the markets are not what they used to be," Abdul-Rahman said. "I'm going back to Khartoum with no money, no job, and no steady income."
He said he would struggle to find housing and work, and to rebuild his life -- a task that demands immense patience and support.
"Even so, we can't stay away from our country forever," he said. "The hope that we can help rebuild our city keeps us going."
