Explosion rocks ammunition depot in Central Darfur 

August 23, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Several houses were severely damaged in a blast at a Sudanese army ammunition depot in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur state on Tuesday.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdallah told Sudan Tribune that a thunderbolt struck the ammunition depot and caused the blast.

“The small arms in the depot were completely destroyed,” he said, before adding that “The explosion did not result in any injuries among the residents of the areas surrounding the depot.”

For his part, Musa Siddiq, a resident of the Alestad neighbourhood in Zalingei, told Sudan Tribune that they “heard a loud explosion at the command of the 21st Infantry Division.”

“Bullets and projectiles hit houses causing severe damage, triggering panic among the residents,” Siddiq added.

He said they were not able to verify if there were some victims affected by the blast due to the heavy rains that prevented them from inspecting the neighbourhood.

However, he said that Haisahisa and Alestad neighbourhoods were the most affected areas by the explosion.

This is not the first time that blasts have taken place in ammunition depots, which are also often located in or nearby residential areas.

In recent years, an ammunition warehouse exploded in the al-Shagara district in southern Khartoum in August 2020. Also, a similar blast occurred in the capital of South Darfur Nyala, in 2017.

(ST)