CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s weaponized fires destroyed more villages and towns in the country’s west in April than in any other month since the conflict began more than a year ago, an analysis revealed Monday. from a UK-based human rights group. .
Sudan Witness, an open-source project run by the nonprofit Center for Information Resilience, said 72 villages and settlements were destroyed or damaged by fires last month, bringing to 201 the total number of settlements hit by fires in Sudan since the beginning of the conflict in mid-April last year.
“We have documented the patterns of numerous fires and the continued devastation of settlements around western Sudan, large and small, since the conflict erupted last April,” said Anouk Theunissen, director of the Sudan Witness project, in a press release on Monday.
“When we see reports of fighting or air raids that coincide with fires, this indicates that fire is being used indiscriminately as a weapon of war. The trend is getting worse and continues to lead to the mass displacement of the Sudanese people,” said Theunissen.
The number of fires has increased especially in the north and west of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State facing the threat of an imminent military attack.
Sudan was engulfed in violence since mid-April 2023, when tensions between the Sudanese military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces triggered intense fighting across the country. Clashes quickly spread to other parts of Sudan, including Darfur, which saw brutal attacks.
Researchers from the Sudan Witness project examined fire patterns across the war-torn country using social media, satellite imagery and public NASA fire monitoring data.
Since the conflict broke out, fires have been set more than once in 51 settlements housing displaced people.
Fires in Sudan have often been linked to conflict, according to the group’s analysis. In one case, Sudan Witness was able to verify fires that coincided with reports of Sudanese military airstrikes. Project investigators also identified that damage to the buildings was consistent with shrapnel.
