An extensive fire broke out on Friday, engulfing the entire market in the Al-Riqibat area in Sudan’s East Darfur. The cause of the fire remains unclear.
The market is located on the border between South Sudan and Sudan but conspicuously falls under the jurisdiction of the Bahr AL-Arab Locality in East Darfur State.
The market is located 2 kilometres north of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State border in South Sudan. The fire resulted in significant losses as traders and small business owners counted massive losses.
Mubarak Al-Zain Issa, the Director of the Samaaha Administrative Unit, told Radio Tamazuj that the initial losses from the fire amounted to eight billion Sudanese pounds, equivalent to eight million US dollars.
He expressed profound sadness over the fire that destroyed the shops, hotels and supermarkets, leaving some traders and residents homeless.
Mubarak appealed to humanitarian organizations to support the affected individuals with basic needs, including food, shelter and water.
Keshib Jumaa, a local trader, described the losses as “immense,” noting that they had lost all their belongings in the fire.
He also said some traders lost their livelihoods as they depended solely on their businesses for survival. “As a result, a committee was formed to collect donations to assist the needy.”
Keshib pointed out that the fire spread rapidly throughout the market because the structures were built of local materials.
Another trafder, Hamed Maman, stated that the fire destroyed all the shops in the Al-Riqibat market, cafes and stores.