Fires Double People’s Suffering in Marib’s Displacement Camps

Sheba Intelligence

A massive fire broke out Sunday in a camp for the displaced persons in Al-Gafina area of Marib province, destroying 70 makeshift shelters. The fire ruined the families’ belongings, including food and personal documents, local sources said. No deaths or injuries were reported.

 Since the breakout of the war in 2015, Marib received over 2 million internally displaced persons. Marib houses over 139 camps, and 70% of the displaced are in Marib city. According to government sources, Al-Gafina camp accommodates over 200,000 displaced persons, which is the largest in Yemen.

The camp has seen repeated fires and floods, exacerbating the living situation of thousands of families. In February this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 12 fire accidents happened in displacement camps, indicating that unsafe cooking practices were the reason for such accidents.

According to government sources, other reasons include overcrowding of the camps, the random electricity connections, the quality of tents, and the lack of firefighting equipment.

Losses Caused by Fire Accidents in Marib’s Displacement Camps