Why Sudanese Refugees Flee to Egypt: The Sudan Crisis

Pastor Ken in Cairo, Egypt Sept 2023 distributing food with our IM team to Sudanese refugees in our Child Sponsorship Program.

To understand why Sudanese refugees flee to Egypt in such large numbers, it helps to understand what’s happening inside Sudan itself. On April 15, 2023, a power struggle between two former allies, Sudan’s army (the SAF) and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), erupted into open war in the capital, Khartoum. The two forces had jointly held power since a 2021 coup, but disagreement over merging the RSF into the national military spiraled into nationwide conflict.

The RSF traces its roots to the Janjaweed militia, previously responsible for atrocities against civilians in Darfur in the early 2000s. Since 2023, the fighting between these two forces has created what the United Nations describes as one of the largest displacement crises in the world, forcing more than 11 million people from their homes.

For many Sudanese families, Egypt has long been the most reasonable place to seek safety, due to geographic proximity and decades of historical ties between the two countries. Since the war began, UNHCR reports that as many as 1.5 million Sudanese nationals have arrived in Egypt, most settling in Cairo and other major cities rather than refugee camps, since Egypt does not operate them. Families often arrive with little more than what they can carry, having left behind homes, jobs, and in many cases, family members who didn’t survive or couldn’t make the journey.

Once in Egypt, these families face real practical struggles: finding housing, accessing healthcare, and rebuilding some sense of stability for children who have already lived through enormous trauma. The journey itself is often part of that trauma. Many families travel for days on foot through the desert to reach the Egyptian border, a dangerous and exhausting crossing before they’ve even had the chance to rest or grieve what they left behind. Our own staff have met families in Egypt who described making this journey firsthand. Once they arrive, many Sudanese refugees end up living in very poor conditions, crowded into low-income neighborhoods with limited access to clean water, stable housing, or steady work, simply because being a refugee in Egypt leaves few better options available.

Indigenous Ministries has been actively helping Sudanese refugees in Egypt as part of our broader work in the region. Our Child Sponsorship Program serves over 800 children, ministering to Iraqi, Syrian, and Sudanese refugees, along with Kurdish, Yazidi, and Egyptian families in special need, providing regular food, educational support, spiritual care, medical care, and consistent visits from local staff. For families who have lost nearly everything, our local Egyptian teams offer more than material help; they share the hope of the gospel and the love of Christ, walking alongside these families as they rebuild both their lives and their faith. As Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Understanding why Sudanese refugees flee to Egypt is really about understanding what they’re fleeing, and what it takes to help them rebuild once they arrive, in body and in spirit.

If you’d like to help support Sudanese refugee families in Egypt, learn more about our Child Sponsorship Program, or you can sponsor one by clicking here to view available children.