North Darfur: Thousands left homeless as fire consumes Kalma camp neighbourhoods

A woman with special needs was severely injured, and between 600 and 1,000 homes and shelters destroyed, in a massive fire that swept through Kalma camp for displaced people near the South Darfur capital of Nyala on Sunday morning. Miraculously, no human fatalities have been reported.

Sheikh Ishaq Abdullah told Radio Dabanga that the fire broke out in centres A and B, and initially destroyed 20 houses in the Qatar Charity School shelter in centre B. He added that the fire also destroyed a number of vehicles and killed livestock, calling on charitable organisations to intervene urgently. He confirmed that a woman with special needs, who could not flee in time,  was severely injured, and taken to Nyala hospital in critical condition.

In a separate interview with Radio Dabanga, Sheikh Moussa Ali Abdelrahman, a leader in the camp, also called on the humanitarian organisations to intervene urgently, pointing to the extent of the losses.

Adam Rejal, spokesman for the General Coordinator for IDP and Refugee Camps, confirmed that said the fire broke out in Centre 1 of Kalma camp at 10:00 and raged until 13:00. In Rejal’s provisional estimation, the fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and displaced thousands of families who were already living in extremely difficult humanitarian conditions.

Cause of the fire

He confirmed that the fire started in one house and spread very quickly due to the narrow roads and the large number of buildings inside the camp, which led to severe damage to houses, stored crops and personal property.

The fire destroyed substantial quantities, of food crops, as well as the loss of basic property for the displaced. Although there were no fatalities reported, the humanitarian situation of those affected was described as catastrophic, with thousands of families without shelter or food.

Kalma camp is one of the largest camps for internally displaced people in Darfur, hosting more than 300,000 since the outbreak of the war in 2003, in addition to the wave of displacement witnessed in 2023, raising the number to more than half a million. This humanitarian catastrophe adds a new burden to those who have been suffering for years from the scourge of war and displacement.

Claims

The General Coordinator called on the international community, humanitarian organizations and charities to intervene immediately by providing urgent shelter to the affected families, providing food, water and health care, and supporting the reconstruction of housing and infrastructure inside the camp.

It also called for strengthening prevention and rapid response mechanisms for such disasters in the future, indicating that a quick and effective response will contribute to saving lives, alleviating suffering and restoring some of the lost human dignity.