Boats return to the Nile between Egypt and Sudan
The Aswan–Wadi Halfa river route reopened after about six years, easing travel for Sudanese returning home.
Key points
- Commercial river services on the Nile between Aswan in Egypt and Wadi Halfa in northern Sudan resumed on 1 May 2026.
- The route had been halted for about six years because of technical problems, operational disruption and high costs, and conditions worsened after Sudan’s war began in April 2023.
- Before the suspension, the route carried passengers, goods and livestock and handled a significant share of trade between the two countries.
Boats are sailing the Nile between Egypt and Sudan again. Commercial river services between Aswan in southern Egypt and the port of Wadi Halfa in northern Sudan resumed on 1 May 2026, after a halt of about six years.
Why it stopped
The service was suspended because of technical problems, operational disruptions and high costs. Conditions became much harder after war broke out in Sudan in April 2023.
What the route carries
Before the suspension, the river route across Lake Nasser carried passengers, goods and livestock, and handled a significant share of trade between the two countries.
Its return also gives Sudanese people who fled to Egypt during the war a new way to travel home. Sudan's repatriation committee has promoted it as a travel route for returnees.
Why it matters
Restoring transport links is part of rebuilding normal life and trade along the Nile. For communities in northern Sudan and southern Egypt, a working river route means cheaper travel and easier movement of goods.
Sources
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