Sudan Seeks Aid After Landslide Kills Over 1 000

Zim Now Writer

Sudan has appealed for international aid after a landslide wiped out the entire village of Tarasin in western Darfur, killing an estimated 1,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country’s recent history.

The tragedy struck Sunday in Central Darfur’s Marrah Mountains following days of heavy rainfall. The Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said the village was “completely leveled to the ground” and that only one person survived.

Its leader, Abdel-Wahid Nour, described the disaster as “immense and defying description” and called for urgent international assistance.

The Sudanese Sovereign Council in Khartoum expressed mourning for the victims and said “all possible capabilities” had been mobilized to support the area.

Footage from the Marrah Mountains news outlet showed a flattened landscape with rescue teams searching through the debris.

Luca Renda, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said local reports suggested “between 300 and 1,000 people may have lost their lives” and confirmed the U.N. and its partners were mobilizing aid to support affected communities.

Al-Amin Abdallah Abbas, a farmer from the surrounding area, called the event “an unprecedented tragedy,” noting weeks of heavy rainfall and the disappearance of the village and its residents.

The area is remote, accessible only on foot or by donkey, according to Mohamed Abdel-Rahman al-Nair, spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army.

The Marrah Mountains, a volcanic range exceeding 3,000 meters in height and a recognized world heritage site, receive higher rainfall than surrounding regions. The village is located more than 900 kilometers west of Khartoum.

Sudan regularly experiences seasonal rains between July and October, which claim hundreds of lives annually. Last year, heavy rains caused the collapse of a dam in the Red Sea Province, killing at least 30 people.

The landslide occurred amid Sudan’s ongoing civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Much of Darfur remains inaccessible to aid groups due to fighting and restrictions.

Doctors Without Borders has described communities in the Marrah Mountains as “a black hole” in Sudan’s humanitarian response, noting that residents have been deprived of aid for over two years.

The International Organization for Migration has urged safe access and increased support, stating, “The people of Sudan cannot bear this never-ending suffering alone.”