Fire at Sudan’s Darfur displacement camp leaves 350 families homeless

A fire at a displacement camp in Sudan’s Darfur region has left 350 families homeless after destroying and damaging hundreds of shelters, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday.

The organization said in a statement that the fire broke out Saturday at the Um Baloula camp for displaced people in the town of Gereida in South Darfur, destroying 350 shelters completely and partially damaging 104 others.

The blaze forced 350 families to flee, with those affected relocated to open areas inside the town of Gereida, it added.

Displaced people in Sudan live in harsh conditions in makeshift shelters built from straw and wood and rely heavily on food and medical aid for survival.

Fires have become more frequent in displacement camps in recent months, often due to narrow roads and overcrowding, which contribute to significant property losses.

Sudan has been gripped by conflict since April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over disagreements over integration into the military, a war that has killed tens of thousands, displaced around 13 million people, and pushed parts of the country toward famine, in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul