Woman and kids burnt to death by wildfire in S. Sudan’s Tombura
February 19, 2016 (YAMBIO) – A woman with her three children have been burnt to death and hundreds of houses set ablaze by wildfire set by unknown person in South Sudan’s Tombora county of Western Equatoria state.
Commissioner of Tombura county, Abdalla Juma, told Sudan Tribune on Friday that the incident which occurred on the same day was the “worst situation ever” in his county where people have witnessed a woman with her three children dying and hundreds of houses getting burnt down.
“This is the worst and bad situation ever people of Tombura county have experienced from wildfire which four people in a family died instantly and houses burnt.” Juma said.
The commissioner said he visited the man who lost his wife and three children and also some of those who lost their properties during the incident which occurred on the road to Source Yubu. The county has no fire-fighters to put off the fire whenever such incidents occur.
The wildfire erupted at midday which he said, they believed, someone tried to burn the bushes in his/her garden to clear it for cultivation and spread to the area and caused the destruction, saying hundreds of people are left without shelter and food.
Rukoo Abakundo, the man who lost his wife and three children, while speaking to Sudan Tribune on phone from Tombora described it a “disaster” which had befallen his family.
“A disaster has happened to be burning my wife and all my children, all my properties and I don’t know how I am going to survive after this,” Abakundo said.
Tombura County is one of the areas with fertile land and thick forests which the citizens cut during dry season as to prepare ground for planting crops during rainy season. In most cases wildfire burn houses and cause destruction every year if the farmer doesn’t clean around their garden before burning.
No humanitarian assistance has been given to the victims by the government nor non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies since the wildfire destroyed properties.
Citizens who are government employed have not received their salaries since January due to the allegation that the salaries of the civil servants in the county were looted last month my armed group.
(ST)