FIRES being used as a weapon in Sudan destroyed more villages and towns in the country’s west in April than in any other month since the conflict began more than a year ago, an analysis by a British-based rights group said today.

Sudan Witness, an open-source project run by the non-profit Centre for Information Resilience, said 72 villages and settlements were either destroyed or damaged by fires last month.

This brings the total number of settlements hit by fire in Sudan to 201 since the conflict began in mid-April of last year.

Sudan Witness project director Anouk Theunissen said: “When we see reports of fighting or air strikes coinciding with clusters of fires it indicates that fire is being used indiscriminately as a weapon of war. 

“The trend is worsening and continues to lead to the mass displacement of Sudanese people.”

The number of fires surged particularly in the north and west of el-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur state that faces a threat of an imminent military attack.

Sudan has been engulfed by violence since mid-April 2023, when tensions between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out into intense fighting across the country. 

Clashes quickly spread to other parts of Sudan, including Darfur, which witnessed brutal attacks.