Some attributed it to “the jinn.” Residents of a village in eastern Sudan are mourned by fires that devour their homes for no apparent reason

Khartoum -

Thus, suddenly and without introduction, a fire begins to burn at the top of the conical buildings spread in the village of Qariqas, to devour the rest of the house and its contents at a high speed that prevents it from being controlled.

This is what eyewitnesses from the residents of the village tell.

Like the rapid spread of that fire, the residents did not find anything but the "jinn" to accuse him of setting the fires that have so far left the ashes of more than 20 homes in that village.

The village of Qureiqis, like many villages in eastern Sudan, is distinguished by the character of building its dwellings from timber and herbal products, and its shed is built in a conical shape.

It is that type of simple building that suits the weather of those areas that are famous for heavy rainfall during the autumn season.

The village is located in the New Halfa locality in Kassala State, in eastern Sudan, about 30 km away from the city.

Since last Thursday, the residents of the village have been living in a state of panic and fear as a result of these fires, for which they have found no explanation other than the angry "jinn", and they stand helpless in front of this phenomenon despite their continuous attempts to put out the fires and the arrival of fire engines from nearby Halfa.

The state presidency in Kassala came to the aid of those affected, and the state's governor, Khojaly Muhammad, promised to redress their harm and harness the state's capabilities to overcome their plight.

angry jinn

Lawyer Othman Adam, who is from the village, told Al Jazeera Net that the matter is happening at an incredible speed, which is difficult to control.

He added that the fire devours the whole house built of wood and "thatch" and leaves the base built of bricks without leaving a trace on it.

He stressed that what is happening is not caused by human beings, but rather something supernatural, reinforcing the sayings of the villagers that what is happening is the result of an angry “jinn.” Adam explained that in the village there are 28 houses built with wood materials belonging to the Awad al-Karim family, 24 of which have been destroyed by fire so far. The last one appeared today.

Numerous publications and videos on social media revealed the extent of the destruction caused by the fires.

And it monitored the rapid transfer of fire from one area to another for no apparent reason, despite the fact that the dwellings are far apart.

The matter even exceeded the limit when the tents provided by the state as urgent aid were devastated by the fire, before it reached the affected people, while the food items arrived safely.

In addition to the fire engines and the people's attempts to contain the fire, the residents use the sheikhs to read the Qur'an to expel the jinn from the village.

Adam said that the state and the local presidency in Halfa stood by the people of the village, but the phenomenon is still continuing, pointing to the outbreak of several fires in the past years in different villages, but they are not of this size and breadth.

For information, opinion and other reasons

The location of the area within the Great African Rift Circle, and the fact that the village is close to the course of the Atbara River, makes the possibility of geological influences a possibility in setting fires in that village.

Geological expert, Dr. Farah Saleh, attributes the phenomenon of fires to several causes other than the phenomenon of "jinn".

Saleh told Al Jazeera Net that there are many fires caused by the person himself by his wrong handling of weeds, in addition to helping the winds spread, which was what happened in the northern state in the famous palm fires.

It can also be a verb.

The phenomenon of palm tree fires has spread in the northern state of Sudan over the past years and has destroyed tens of thousands of trees in a remarkable phenomenon, and farmers have lost crops estimated at billions of pounds, and the authorities attributed them to natural factors in addition to lack of attention to hygiene.

Saleh said that there are fires that result from nature in rocky or sandy areas, and in only one case, when there are gas reservoirs in the depths.

He added that this happens when gas rushes from the high pressure area to areas of low pressure, and there are rock fractures or pores in the sandy layers that help the gas to escape to the surface, which interacts with oxygen to result in fires.

Saleh pointed out that some areas in Sudan were hideouts during the British colonial period, as quantities of oil-filled barrels were buried in the ground during World War II, and they leaked and turned into gases and could lead to fires.

Sudanese novelist Abdulaziz Baraka, who lives in the same direction, denies on his Facebook page that the phenomenon of fires is caused by the jinn, pointing to what happened from the fires in the city of Gedaref, near Halfa, and people attributed their causes to the jinn, but later discovered that their cause was the presence of Bottles are placed at the top of houses built of wooden materials, and this works to focus sunlight into a focus that leads to ignition.

Controversy continues to rage to find a logical explanation for this phenomenon, which has caused great disasters for the residents of that village, which is still spending its day, since last Thursday, while watching the flames ignite in its homes.