AWEIL – A devastating fire at the Wedwiel settlement camp has claimed the life of a Sudanese refugee man and destroyed 88 shops, leaving many families and traders in utter despair.
The fire, which erupted late Friday night, consumed a large section of the camp where local refugee and host community members run small businesses to sustain their livelihoods.
Philip Agany Deng, the Police Inspector of Aweil West County, told this publication that the fire broke out abruptly around 11:40 p.m. at the camp, where Sudanese refugees operate small kiosks outside the main settlement.
“The incident happened suddenly, and the cause is currently unknown,” Deng said. “We rushed to the scene with the county commissioner to investigate, but so far, the circumstances remain puzzling.”
The victim, identified as Adam Musa, was reportedly caught in the fire while attempting to save his goods. “It is a tragic and fatal incident,” Deng lamented.
Preliminary accounts suggest that the fire may have originated from cooking activities outside the camp. Some allege that women preparing Dhalabia—a type of fried bread—might have accidentally sparked the blaze, which quickly spread through the grass-thatched structures.
“The shops are mostly constructed with grass and wood, making them highly vulnerable to fire,” Deng explained.
Witnesses at the scene described harrowing losses. One woman, whose shop was destroyed, told this publication, “We lost everything. These shops were our only means of feeding our children and meeting basic needs.”
The fire has sparked outrage among both refugee and host community traders, who are calling on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to identify those responsible.
They stressed that the destruction of their businesses has left many vulnerable families without any source of income, worsening already difficult living conditions.
Some refugee traders further lamented that plans by certain United Nations agencies to construct safer, iron-sheeted shops never materialised.
Meanwhile, speculation has arisen that some individuals posing as refugees in recent months to access aid might have been involved, though this remains unconfirmed.
