Sudan: fires used as weapons of war

Weaponized fires in Sudan 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, according to an analysis Monday by a UK-based rights group.

Sudan Witness, an open source project run by the nonprofit Center for Information Resilience, said 72 villages were destroyed or damaged by fires last month, bringing the total number of villages affected by fire in Sudan to 201 since the start 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 start of the conflict last April,” Anouk Theunissen, director of the Sudan Witness project, said Monday in A press release.

“When we see reports of fighting or airstrikes coinciding with mass fires, it indicates that fire is being used indiscriminately as a weapon of war. The trend is worsening and continues to lead to the massive displacement of the Sudanese population,” Theunissen said.

The number of fires has particularly increased in the north and west of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, which faces the threat of imminent military attack.

Sudanese children suffering from malnutrition are treated at an MSF clinic in Metche camp, Chad, near the Sudanese border, Saturday April 6, 2024. Many people have fled fighting in the vast western region of Darfur, western Sudan, where attacks by predominantly Arab forces in rapid support of civilians of African origin have revived memories of the genocide. According to the United Nations, nearly 9 million people have fled their homes. (AP Photo/Patricia Simon)

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FILE - Sudanese children suffering from malnutrition are treated at an MSF clinic in Metche camp, Chad, near the Sudanese border, April 6, 2024. The United Nations food agency warned the warring parties in Sudan on Friday May 4, that there is a serious risk of widespread famine and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they do not allow humanitarian aid into the vast western region. (AP Photo/Patricia Simon, file)

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Sudan has been gripped by violence since mid-April 2023, when tensions between the Sudanese army and rapid support paramilitary forces escalated into intense fighting across the country. Clashes quickly spread to other parts of Sudan, including Darfur, which has been the scene of brutal attacks.

Sudan Witness Project investigators examined fire patterns in the war-torn country using social media, satellite imagery and public fire monitoring data from NASA.

Since the start of the conflict, fires have been started several times in 51 camps housing displaced people.

Fires in Sudan are often 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 damage to buildings as being caused by shrapnel.