Over 100 shops burnt in Amiet market fire outbreak

Fire outbreak at Amiet Market in February 2021

Authorities in the Abyei Administrative Area say more than 100 shops and residential structures were razed to the ground by a fire outbreak in the Amiet common market on Thursday.

Authorities in the Abyei Administrative Area say more than 100 shops and residential structures were razed to the ground by a fire outbreak in the Amiet common market on Thursday. 

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday Nyok Deng, the commissioner of Amenth Aguok County where the market is situated said they are still counting losses from the fire.

"The fire outbreak took place yesterday in Amiet and up to now, the counting is ongoing. So far, the counting of the shops has reached 101 shops but the counting of the burned residential tukuls around the market has not been completed," he said. 

Deng said the cause of the fire is yet to be established. 

Kelek Kon, the area's security advisor says authorities are still searching for the cause and people behind the Thursday fire outbreak.

"Nobody has been arrested because the place where the fire started is part of the market but within a residential area and therefore people are now searching the residential area for clues as to what caused the fire outbreak," he added.

In February, over 700 shops were burned and goods and properties worth millions of South Sudan Pounds were destroyed in a fire outbreak. Many blame the congestion of houses and shops in the market for the frequent outbreaks.

Amiet Market is to the north of Abyei, where traders from the Republic of Sudan and South Sudan carry out cross-border trade.