More than 1,000 people have been killed in a landslide in western Sudan, according to a rebel group that controls the area. The landslide on Sunday, following heavy rain, destroyed the village of Tarasin in the Marra mountains, leaving only one survivor.
The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM) said the village had been 'completely levelled to the ground'. The UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Luca Renda, expressed deep sadness, adding that local sources estimated between 300 and 1,000 deaths. The UN and partners are mobilising to support affected communities.
A farmer from a nearby cluster of villages, Al-Amin Abdallah Abbas, described the event as 'an unprecedented tragedy', saying 'the village and its people disappeared'. Seasonal rainfall between July and October causes hundreds of deaths annually in Sudan, but this is one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent history.
Sudan's ongoing civil war, now in its third year, has worsened the humanitarian crisis, with famine declared in parts of Darfur. Fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has made much of Darfur inaccessible to aid organisations, including the Marra mountains area where many displaced families have fled.
Darfur's army-aligned governor, Minni Minnawi, called the landslide a 'humanitarian tragedy' and appealed for urgent international assistance. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union Commission, urged warring parties to 'silence the guns' and facilitate aid delivery.
The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
