Fire guts Al-Riqibat market, East Darfur

A fire erupted on Monday at Al-Riqibat market, situated in the administrative unit of Samaha in the Bahr al-Arab locality, resulting in the destruction of around 14 commercial agencies and an estimated loss of millions of Sudanese pounds.

A fire erupted on Monday at Al-Riqibat market, situated in the administrative unit of Samaha in the Bahr al-Arab locality, resulting in the destruction of around 14 commercial agencies and an estimated loss of millions of Sudanese pounds.

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 Sudan’s East Darfur State.

The market is located 2 kilometres north of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State border in South Sudan. 

Trader Hassan Abu Hijil informed Radio Tamazuj, “The Al-Riqibat border market has faced fire incidents more than three times within two months.” 

He further explained, “The fire spread across the market, reaching the northwestern side. The current fire has caused huge losses.”

He attributed the fires to unknown causes, emphasizing that the traders’ losses are exceptionally high and pose a significant financial burden. He urged the media to convey a message to organizations and donors to assist in addressing their issues, particularly in the post-war period.

Trader Hamid Mamen stated, “The flames ravaged fourteen agencies in the market, with losses estimated at 800 million pounds.” He noted that these estimates are preliminary assessments of the damages.