Sudan: Use of fire as a war weapon destroys dozens of villages
As the people of Sudan are pushed to the point of starvation, being forcefully removed from their homes and lost from their families, Sudan’s opposing forces continue to wreak havoc on the country as the Sudanese army haven been accused of using fire as a tool of war against the Rapid support forces.
The fires have destroyed or damaged 72 villages and settlements in efforts to target oil wells under the control of the RSF, reports AP News on May 13th.
Investigators from Sudan Witness, an open-source project run by the non-profit Centre for Information Resilience, have stated that there have been more blazes during April 2024, than in any other month since the war began, highlighting the use of fire as a weapon of war in the North African country.
The organisation added that the number of fires surged particularly in the north and west of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state that faces imminent attack.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that at least 27 people were killed, and dozens injured in El-Fasher during its intense fighting on the 10th of May between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary RSF. As a result, more than 800 were displaced.
On May 11th, Sudan’s army launched an air strike in El-Fasher. The strike hit close to a paediatric hospital killing two children and a caregiver, according to Doctors Without Borders.
The Centre for Information Resilience estimated that 31 settlements, villages and towns were affected by the fires in April, with an over 50% destruction rate.
READ: US envoy voices hope for Sudan peace talks
Investigators with the project examined the patterns of fires across the war-torn country by using social media, satellite imagery and NASA’s public fire monitoring data.
The Sudan Witness analysis also said that blazes have hit at least 51 settlements for displaced people more than once.
Anouk Theunissen, Sudan Witness project director, said in a news release. “We’ve documented the patterns of numerous fires and the continuing devastation to settlements around western Sudan, large and small,”
“When we see reports of fighting or air strikes coinciding with clusters of fires it indicates that fire is being used indiscriminately as a weapon of war. The trend is worsening and continues to lead to the mass displacement of Sudanese people,” Theunissen said.
In April 2023, war broke out in Sudan over disputes about the powers of the army and the RSF under an internationally backed plan for political transition towards civilian rule and elections. Clashes quickly spread to other parts of Sudan, including Darfur, which has been witnessing brutal attacks.
READ: WFP delivers food aid to Sudan as famine looms
The year-long war that has plagued the country has pushed its population to the brink of famine. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and more than 14,000 people have been killed.
As many civilians suffer at the hands of the opposing forces, the overuse of fire as a weapon has provided a new level to the war, draining the hope of victims who fight for survival.
AP News.
