ISTANBUL

At least two people have been killed when a large fire tore through makeshift shelters housing displaced families in the town of Tawila in Sudan’s North Darfur region, a local emergency official said, according to Sudan Tribune.

The fire broke out on Monday after sweeping through the Hilla Naima area of Tawila, about 37 miles west of El Fasher, destroying dozens of homes built from local materials and leaving many families without shelter, the media report said.

Among the dead was a 12-year-old child, said Yahya Ibrahim, a member of the Tawila Emergency Room.

Tawila has become a major refuge for civilians fleeing violence in and around El Fasher, particularly after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the city on Oct. 26, 2024. The town now hosts about 655,000 displaced people, most of whom escaped El Fasher through dangerous routes in search of safety, Sudan Tribune said.

Sudanese authorities and regional rights groups have previously accused RSF and their ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, of committing violations against civilians.

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks across the three Kordofan states -- North, West, and South -- forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states in the western Darfur region, except for parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army holds most areas of the remaining 13 states across the south, north, east, and center of the country, including the capital Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed thousands of people and displaced millions.