A devastating landslide has struck a village in Sudan’s western Darfur region, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 1,000 individuals, according to a statement from the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, which governs the affected area.
The incident, which took place following several days of heavy rainfall, completely obliterated the village of Tarasin in the Marra Mountains on Sunday, leaving only one survivor. The rebel group announced late Monday that all other residents, estimated to exceed 1,000, were presumed dead.
In their statement, the group requested assistance from the United Nations and international organizations to help recover the bodies of those lost, including children. Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Khartoum, emphasized the challenges in the recovery process. “The sources [I’ve spoken with] are talking about the difficulty of helping … people who have been buried by that landslide, how to dig them out, how to give them a decent burial. That’s going to take a long time and maybe it won’t even take place if there are no international teams that are specialised in these types of activities,” he explained.
Access to the Marra Mountains is severely limited, with no roads or other means of transportation available, leading many residents to seek refuge in this isolated area during times of conflict. Vall noted, “I’ve been there, and I’ve seen the destitution, the seclusion, the dire poverty of people there living hand to mouth, even though the land is fertile there, they have citrus plants there and abundant water but they have no relationship with civilization and that makes farming very difficult.”
The news of this natural disaster coincides with an ongoing civil war in Sudan, now in its third year, which has further exacerbated one of the world’s most dire humanitarian situations. Famine has already been declared in parts of Darfur.
Residents fleeing violence between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Darfur state sought refuge in the Marra Mountains, where food and medical supplies are critically scarce, as reported by Reuters.
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Amidst the turmoil, factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army have vowed to assist the Sudanese military in their efforts against the RSF. The conflict has intensified in Darfur, especially around el-Fasher, since the army seized control of the capital, Khartoum, from the RSF in March. El-Fasher has been under siege for over a year as the RSF aims to gain control of this strategically vital city, the last major stronghold of the army in the region.
