A landslide has killed at least 370 people in the remote Marra Mountains in western Sudan, a UN official has reported. This tragedy follows days of heavy rain that triggered the disaster on Sunday, reportedly leaving just one survivor and devastating the village of Tarseen.
According to Antoine Gérard, the UN's deputy humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, the full scope of the incident remains challenging to assess due to the area's inaccessibility. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), which controls the impacted area, suggested that the death toll could be much higher, potentially approaching 1,000.
The SLM/A is seeking urgent humanitarian aid from the UN and other international organizations, as logistical challenges complicate relief efforts. We do not have helicopters; everything goes in vehicles on very bumpy roads. It takes time, and it is the rainy season — sometimes we have to wait hours, maybe a day or two to cross a valley, Gérard explained.
Many residents of North Darfur, having fled conflict, had sought refuge in the Marra Mountains. Minni Minnawi, Darfur's army-aligned governor, described the landslide as a humanitarian tragedy, urging international organizations to provide support.
The African Union Commission chairman also called for an end to hostilities and facilitated humanitarian efforts as the region continues to suffer from civil strife that has escalated since April 2023. The civil war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is currently exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
With the ongoing violence and concerns about ethnic conflicts in the region, the fallout from this landslide illustrates the dire need for swift international humanitarian assistance.
