Four killed in Jebel Marra camp, market raised as blazes sweep Darfur

Four people, including three children and an elderly person, have died and three others were injured in a fire that broke out on Monday afternoon at the Zank El Khudar displacement shelter in Golo, Jebel Marra, according to the Golo Emergency Room. In a statement seen by Radio Dabanga, the group described the blaze as the largest of its kind in the area. It said damage assessments were ongoing and initial reports indicated that other children were missing.

The fire completely destroyed 900 shelters and partially damaged a further 600 homes, leaving a large number of families displaced. The Emergency Room said the flames spread rapidly through huts built from local materials, making it difficult to contain the fire.

It called on humanitarian organisations and partners to intervene urgently to assist those affected.

Separately, a fire broke out on Monday in the El Qasharat area near Friendship Square in Gereida, South Darfur, causing panic among residents despite swift attempts to bring the situation under control. Sources said at least 150 homes west of El Qasharat were destroyed.

Fires have continued to affect wide areas of Darfur and Kordofan during the current season, causing significant losses of life and property.

Hundreds of shops destroyed in major market fire in Nyala

A major fire swept through the Souq Mawqif El Jeneina market in the South Darfur capital of Nyala on Monday evening, destroying more than 500 shops.

Yusuf Idris Yusuf, head of the civil administration in South Darfur state, said the fire consumed around 80% of the market, one of the largest and most important in the state and a key hub for trade and the distribution of goods across localities.

Jibril Issa Abdulrahman, executive director of Nyala North locality, said authorities had begun urgent measures, including clearing the site and reorganising the market in line with safety requirements. He added that construction using local materials would be permanently banned and stricter oversight imposed on market planning.

Mohamed Hussein Dou El Nour, head of the state’s chamber of commerce, called on federal and regional authorities, as well as organisations and donors, to provide urgent support, saying the scale of losses exceeded the state’s capacity and that the market represented a vital economic artery for Darfur and several other Sudanese states.

Officials attributed the scale of the disaster to unplanned construction using highly flammable local materials such as straw, as well as narrow passageways and blocked streets within the market, which hampered firefighting efforts and allowed the flames to spread rapidly.

Recent fires across Darfur have caused extensive property damage as well as deaths and injuries.

Humanitarian appeal

Yusuf Idris issued a humanitarian appeal to address the impact of seasonal fires, saying they had created severe humanitarian conditions. Many residents whose homes were destroyed are now living in the open due to the high cost of building materials.

He added that displacement camps and several villages relying on local building materials suffer from poor planning, contributing to the spread of fires amid a lack of firefighting vehicles.

During a visit to the village of Yahya Dud in Ad El Fursan locality, which recently suffered a major fire, Idris said the government would press ahead with efforts to address the problem. He said the “peace government” and civil administrations were seeking effective solutions to construction using local materials and alternative methods to limit such fires, while also protecting the environment.

He said the situation required urgent intervention from humanitarian and environmental organisations through partnerships with civil administrations and local communities.

Fires have recently struck camps including Kalma, Gereida and El Salam, as well as areas such as Um Za’ifa and Katila, destroying hundreds of homes and causing very large material losses.