A third free train service for Sudanese nationals voluntarily returning home from Egypt is scheduled to depart from Cairo on Sunday, Aug. 3, as part of a programme to facilitate repatriation. The special air-conditioned train is set to leave Cairo's main station at 11:00 AM and arrive at the High Dam station in the southern city of Aswan at 11:40 PM, according to a statement from the railway authority. The return journey from Aswan to Cairo is scheduled for 8:30 PM the same day. The free train journeys come as an increasing number of Sudanese who fled the conflict that broke out in their country in April 2023 consider returning home, following a period of relative calm in the capital, Khartoum. In recent months, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have regained territory from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in and around Khartoum, making a return more feasible for some of the millions who sought refuge in neighbouring countries like Egypt. The voluntary return programme is a joint effort between the Egyptian National Railways and Sudan's state-owned arms company, Defence Industries System, which is covering the full cost of the journey, including onward bus travel from Aswan to the Sudanese capital. The Sudanese army is reportedly keen for refugees to return to reinforce its control over recently recaptured areas and as a step towards normality. The repatriation efforts coincide with a recent political development, where Sudan's government has welcomed international condemnation of the RSF and its civilian ally, the so-called "Ta'sis" alliance, over their announcement of a "parallel government" on July 26. In a series of statements, Sudan's government affirmed that the move was illegitimate and a direct threat to national sovereignty. It praised the firm positions taken by the United Nations, the African Union, and the League of Arab States against the announcement.
