Sudan crisis deepens: 50 homes lost in Darfur refugee camp fire
26 January 2015. Um Baru: Thousands of people, mostly women and children, take refuge at a safe zone adjacent to UNAMID's base in Um Baru, North Darfur.The newly displaced people fled from different villages which had been reportedly attacked. Photo by Hamid Abdulsalam, UNAMID
A fire tore through a refugee camp in western Sudan’s Darfur region on April 15th, destroying more than 50 homes, Africanews reported.
The General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur captured footage of the fire. It showed shelters in Mukjar camp engulfed in flames, though the exact origin of the fire is still unknown.
No casualties were reported, but damage from the incident has further worsened conditions for residents already displaced by war.
The incident comes as violence intensifies in Darfur. On April 14th, the UN humanitarian agency reported over 300 civilian deaths in just two days of fighting.
Sudan has been gripped by civil war since April 2023, when conflict erupted between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), spreading from the capital Khartoum to other regions.
Darfur has been especially vulnerable, Middle East Monitor via Anadolu Agency reported on March 25th. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) described the situation as “tense and unpredictable” amid growing violence.
Meanwhile, the UN Migration agency said that 15,000 Darfur households have faced displacement due to continuous fighting. The displacement extends beyond Darfur, with 3.5 million people fleeing their homes in the capital, Khartoum.
The RSF has been blamed for recent attacks following the Sudanese army’s recapture of Khartoum late last month.
More than 24,000 people have been killed, according to the UN, though activists estimate the death toll is significantly higher.
The war has triggered what the UN calls the world’s worst displacement and humanitarian crisis. Sudan is currently the only country classified as experiencing famine.
In March, the World Food Programme (WFP) issued a warning about depleting resources, saying that “nearly 25 million Sudanese struggle to put a meal on their plates.”
The WFP attributed the worsening situation to “conflict, inflation, and high food prices,” which have made it increasingly difficult for people to afford food.
Sudan recently accused the United Arab Emirates for being the “driving force” of what has been referred to as a genocide in Darfur. Al-Monitor reported on April 10th, that Sudan’s acting justice minister, Muawia Osman, told the International Court of Justice that genocide could not occur without the “complicity of the UAE.”
This involvement includes the alleged shipping of arms to the RSF. The UAE’s statements deny the accusations and label Sudan’s case as “political theatre” diverting focus from resolving the conflict.
Africanews, Al-Monitor, Middle East Monitor via Anadolu Agency
