Fire Damage in a Displacement Camp in Western Sudan

The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University has detected signs of a fire in a displacement camp in Darfur, western Sudan. This marks the fifth incident affecting the site since last February.

In a report published last Wednesday, based on satellite images taken between March 21 and 27, the lab identified “thermal” traces extending from the northwest of Al-Omda camp to its southeastern area.

The International Organization for Migration reported that the fire displaced 971 families, destroyed more than 881 huts, and damaged another 90 huts in the camp, located in the town of Tawila, which has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

The Coordination Council of Emergency Rooms in Tawila and Jebel Marra also reported the death of a child as a result of the fire, which occurred on March 21.

The council attributed the fire to “lentil cooking, strong winds, overcrowding, and the presence of flammable materials.”

Fires are difficult to control in the camp, which is home to more than 269,000 people, where most shelters are made of wood and straw, and there is a lack of firefighting resources.

An analysis by the lab showed the presence of new huts within the areas affected by the fire, likely built after it broke out.

Since early February, the International Organization for Migration has recorded five fires in Al-Omda camp, destroying more than 1,613 huts.

Most residents of Al-Omda camp had previously fled from Zamzam camp in April 2025, escaping a large-scale attack attributed to the Rapid Support Forces.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been experiencing an ongoing war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, at least 11 million displaced people, and a hunger and displacement crisis described by the United Nations as the worst in the world.