A devastating landslide has claimed the lives of at least 1,000 people in Sudan’s remote Marra Mountains, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A).
The disaster, triggered by days of heavy rainfall, struck on Sunday and “levelled” much of the village of Tarasin in western Sudan’s Darfur region. Only one survivor has been reported.
In a statement, the SLM/A appealed to the United Nations, as well as regional and international organisations, to urgently provide humanitarian assistance. Many of those killed had been displaced from North Darfur, after fleeing clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Darfur’s governor, Minni Minnawi, who is aligned with the Sudanese army, described the incident as a “humanitarian tragedy.”
The landslide compounds Sudan’s deepening crisis. Since civil war erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, famine has spread across the country, while Darfur in particular has faced accusations of genocide. Death toll estimates from the conflict vary, but a US official last year placed the number of casualties at up to 150,000. Around 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
The SLM/A, which controls much of the area where the landslide struck, has pledged to back the Sudanese army in its fight against the RSF. Many Darfuris accuse the RSF and allied militias of seeking to transform the ethnically diverse region into an Arab-ruled stronghold.
The latest tragedy underscores the multiple layers of suffering facing Sudan, as natural disasters compound the human toll of its protracted war.
Melissa Enoch
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