At least 370 people have died in a landslide that swept through the Marra Mountains in western Sudan. The disaster struck the remote village of Tarseen after days of heavy rain, leaving only one known survivor.
Antoine Gérard, the UN’s deputy humanitarian co-ordinator for Sudan, said it was difficult to confirm the exact toll. “The area is very hard to reach. Everything goes by vehicles on bumpy roads. It can take days to cross valleys,” he said.
The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), which controls the area, fears the deaths may be higher. In a statement, the group claimed as many as 1,000 lives may have been lost. They said much of Tarseen had been “levelled” by the landslide.
Calls for Urgent Help
The SLM/A has appealed to the UN and international agencies for help. But Gérard warned that aid delivery will be difficult without helicopters, especially during the rainy season.
Darfur’s governor Minni Minnawi described the incident as a “humanitarian tragedy”. He added: “We appeal to international humanitarian organisations to urgently intervene and provide support. The tragedy is greater than what our people can bear alone.”
African Union chief Mahmoud Ali Youssouf urged warring sides in Sudan to pause fighting. He called on them “to silence the guns and unite in facilitating the swift delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance.”
Tragedy Amid Civil War
The disaster comes as Sudan continues to bleed from its civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has displaced 12 million people and plunged many into famine.
A US official estimated last year that up to 150,000 people had been killed since the war began. Rights groups have accused the RSF of waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Darfur, where the landslide occurred.
Factions of the SLM/A, though neutral in the main war, have pledged support for the army in its fight against the RSF. Many Darfuris fear the conflict is an attempt to turn the region into an Arab-ruled enclave.
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