Sudan: A Sudan landslide in the remote Marra Mountains has killed at least 1,000 people, according to the rebel group Sudan Liberation Movement/Army.
Days of heavy rainfall have triggered the disaster, which has levelled much of Tarasin village and left just one known survivor.
The group has appealed for humanitarian assistance from the United Nations, regional bodies, and international organisations. It has said that the scale of devastation requires urgent external help to prevent further loss of life.
Many residents of North Darfur had taken refuge in the Marra Mountains after being displaced by the ongoing civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict, which began in April 2023, has devastated the region, driving about 12 million people from their homes and sparking famine conditions.
Darfur’s army-aligned governor, Minni Minnawi, has described the landslide as a humanitarian tragedy. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, which controls the affected area, has pledged to fight alongside Sudan’s military against the RSF, deepening the complex web of alliances in the country’s war.
The civil war has also led to accusations of genocide in Darfur, where many believe the RSF and allied militias have been conducting campaigns aimed at reshaping the ethnically mixed region into an Arab-ruled territory. A US official estimated last year that as many as 150,000 people may have been killed since the conflict began.
The landslide in Tarasin has added another dimension to the suffering in Sudan, already strained by conflict, mass displacement, and food shortages. With villages flattened and survivors in urgent need of shelter and aid, humanitarian groups are warning that more assistance must be delivered quickly.
The disaster has underscored how environmental shocks are compounding the country’s humanitarian crisis. With thousands displaced by war and now natural disaster, Sudan faces one of the most severe emergencies in the region.
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