Fire Destroys Al-Umda IDP Shelters in North Darfur, Displacing 142 Families

A fire engulfed shelters in a displacement camp in North Darfur, western Sudan, prompting another round of displacement for families already living in temporary housing.

“The International Organization for Migration announced on Tuesday that a fire broke out in a displacement camp in North Darfur state, western Sudan, destroying 105 shelters completely and damaging 37 partially, and forcing dozens of families to flee again”

Al-Jazeera Net

The International Organization for Migration said the blaze broke out in مخيم العمدة للنازحين in بلدة طويلة in North Darfur state, destroying 105 shelters completely and damaging 37 partially.

Al-Jazeera Net

The IOM said the fire led to the displacement of 142 families, and it provided no details about casualties or the causes behind the outbreak.

The affected families were moved to open areas within the region itself, while displacement monitoring teams watched developments closely.

A separate report from صحيفة التغيير السودانية said the IOM reported a fire at the Al-Umda IDP camp in the town of Tallah in North Darfur state, with damage to 130 shelters—100 destroyed completely and 30 damaged partially—and displacing dozens of families.

Anadolu Ajansı similarly said the IOM reported that a fire broke out on Sunday at the Al-Umda camp in Tallah, causing complete destruction of 100 shelters and partial damage to 30 shelters, and displacing 130 households.

The different outlets also differed on the timing of the incident: the Al-Jazeera Net report framed it as an event announced on Tuesday, while the وكالة الصحافة الفلسطينية report said the fire broke out at the Al-Umda IDP camp in Tallah on Saturday, April 18 of this year.

The Tallah-area fire was described as the second incident of its kind within a week in Darfur displacement camps, following an earlier blaze in South Darfur.

Al-Jazeera Net said the incident was the second of its kind within a week in Darfur’s displacement camps, adding that on 14 April a fire broke out in مخيم أم بلولة للنازحين in بلدة قريضة in South Darfur state.

Anadolu Ajansı

That earlier fire, according to Al-Jazeera Net, caused the destruction and damage of 454 shelters partially or completely and displaced hundreds of families.

The وكالة الصحافة الفلسطينية report also tied the Tallah fire to the April 14 incident, saying the earlier fire at the Um Bulla IDP camp in the town of Qurayda in South Darfur state destroyed and damaged 454 shelters partially or fully and displaced hundreds of families.

صحيفة التغيير السودانية and Anadolu Ajansı both emphasized the harsh conditions in which displaced people live, describing shelters made of straw and wood and reliance on food and medical aid.

In the Tallah case, the IOM said the fire was brought under control, and the displaced who lost their shelter were expected to remain outdoors and under trees until alternative shelters are provided, according to صحيفة التغيير السودانية.

Anadolu Ajansı likewise said the fire was brought under control and that displaced people who lost their shelters were expected to remain outdoors and under trees until alternative shelters are provided.

The reports linked the vulnerability of displacement camps to the living conditions inside them and to camp layout factors described by a Sudanese coordination body.

“The International Organization for Migration said that a fire broke out on Sunday at the Al-Umda IDP camp in the town of Tallah in North Darfur state, Sudan, causing damage to 130 shelters—100 destroyed completely and 30 damaged partially—and displacing dozens of families”

Al-Taghyeer as-Sudaniyya

Al-Jazeera Net said the General Coordination for Displaced and Refugees in Sudan attributed the causes of fires in the camps to narrow roads and high housing density, leading to severe damage and losses of property.

It also described harsh conditions for Sudanese displaced people, saying they live in shelters made of straw and wood and rely on food and medical aid.

In the Tallah area, Al-Jazeera Net said the location is about 60 kilometers west of El Fasher in North Darfur and has hosted tens of thousands of displaced people.

The reports connected the surge in displacement there to the Rapid Support Forces taking control of El Fasher on 26 October last year.

Al-Jazeera Net said that RSF takeover came in tandem with massacres against civilians there, and amid warnings of entrenching a geographic division of the country.

It further stated that on 29 October last year, RSF commander Muhammad Hamdan Daglo Hamidi admitted that abuses by his forces occurred in El Fasher, claiming the formation of investigation committees.

The IOM’s statements, as relayed by multiple outlets, described both the physical damage to shelters and the immediate displacement response.

Al-Jazeera Net said the fire destroyed 105 shelters completely and damaged 37 partially, and it forced dozens of families to flee again, with the IOM explaining that the fire broke out in مخيم العمدة للنازحين in بلدة طويلة in North Darfur state.

Al-Jazeera Net

The report said the IOM noted that the fire led to the displacement of 142 families and that there were no details about casualties or the causes behind its outbreak.

The وكالة الصحافة الفلسطينية report similarly said the IOM announced that a fire broke out at the Al-Umda IDP camp in Tallah on Saturday, April 18 of this year, destroying 105 shelters completely and damaging 37 partially.

It also said the fire led to the displacement of 142 families, again noting no details on whether there were any casualties or the causes that led to it.

In contrast, صحيفة التغيير السودانية and Anadolu Ajansı both reported the IOM’s figures as 130 shelters affected, with 100 destroyed completely and 30 damaged partially, and displacement of dozens of families or 130 households.

Both outlets also said the fire was brought under control and that displaced people who lost their shelter were expected to remain outdoors and under trees until alternative shelters were provided.

The camp fires were reported against a wider backdrop of conflict and humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, with the Tallah displacement linked to the RSF’s control of El Fasher and to fighting between armed groups.

“The International Organization for Migration announced on Tuesday that a fire broke out in a displacement camp in North Darfur state, western Sudan, destroying 105 shelters completely and damaging 37 partially, and forcing dozens of families to flee again”

Al-Jazeera Net

Al-Jazeera Net said the Tallah area has hosted tens of thousands of displaced people, especially after the Rapid Support Forces took control of the city on 26 October last year.

Anadolu Ajansı

It said that RSF takeover came amid reports of massacres against civilians there and warnings about entrenching a geographic division of the country.

The report added that on 29 October last year, RSF commander Muhammad Hamdan Daglo Hamidi admitted that abuses by his forces occurred in El Fasher, claiming the formation of investigation committees.

Anadolu Ajansı and صحيفة التغيير السودانية both described the same RSF seizure of El Fasher on Oct. 26 last year and said it occurred amid reports of massacres against civilians there.

Anadolu Ajansı further stated that since April 2023, the RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army over a dispute about merging the RSF into the military establishment.

It said that this conflict has contributed to famine within one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands of Sudanese and displacing about 13 million people.