El Taweisha — EL TAWEISHA, April 4 2023 – A team from the Geological Research Authority visited Eyal Amin village in El Taweisha, North Darfur, on Friday to investigate the frequent fires that have plagued the area. The experts collected soil samples and then returned to Khartoum, promising to share their findings as soon as they become available. According to Suleiman Ali, director of the El Taweisha locality, several relief organisations have already contacted local authorities to assist those affected, and “we are working on this.”
In 2023 alone, at least 241 homes in Eyal Amin have been destroyed by fire, the latest blaze occurring on Saturday evening. The cause of these recurrent fires remains unknown, leaving residents in a constant state of fear. Mutassim Abdelwahab, a local resident, told Radio Dabanga that fires occur almost daily, forcing people to remain on high alert to extinguish any flare‑up. He urged the state government to provide firefighting vehicles, noting that locals struggle to combat the flames due to a lack of water. Residents have also called for the area to be declared a disaster zone.
The problem is not confined to Eyal Amin. In February, North Darfur governor Nimir Abdelrahman dispatched a technical team of geologists to Meleisa village to take soil samples and investigate similar fire incidents there. Abdelshafi Abdallah Adam, Director General of the North Darfur Water Sector, suspects that the fires—recorded since 2014—may have geological origins, such as the composition of rocks and soil, thermal emissions of phosphorus and methane gases, or legacy environmental waste and pollution. Last month, fires consumed 75 houses in Eyal Amin, and witnesses reported that “fires frequently break out from the ground these days,” leaving the community in a state of panic. The tragedy is compounded by the loss of three children in a fire last year.
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