A landslide has killed at least 370 people in the remote Marra Mountains in western Sudan, a UN official has informed the BBC. Antoine Gérard, the UN's deputy humanitarian co-ordinator for Sudan, noted the difficulty in assessing the scale of the incident due to the area's inaccessibility. Earlier, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), the armed group controlling the area, suggested that the death toll might reach as high as 1,000.
The landslide was triggered by days of heavy rain on Sunday, leaving only one survivor and severely damaging the village of Tarseen, according to statements from the SLM/A. The group has made a plea for humanitarian assistance from the UN and various regional and international organizations, noting that delivering aid is complicated by the challenging terrain and ongoing rainy season.
Many residents in the Marra Mountains had already been displaced due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SLM/A has maintained neutrality in this conflict. Furthermore, Minni Minnawi, the army-aligned governor of Darfur, described the landslide as a “humanitarian tragedy” and urged for immediate international intervention.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the head of the African Union Commission, has called for a ceasefire to allow for effective aid delivery to those affected. The landslide not only resulted in significant loss of life but has also compounded the challenges faced by civilians in conflict-ridden regions of Sudan, where famine and violence against civilians have already created dire humanitarian conditions. The civil war that erupted in April 2023 has already resulted in extensive casualties, with estimates suggesting up to 150,000 people lost their lives and approximately 12 million displaced.
The landslide was triggered by days of heavy rain on Sunday, leaving only one survivor and severely damaging the village of Tarseen, according to statements from the SLM/A. The group has made a plea for humanitarian assistance from the UN and various regional and international organizations, noting that delivering aid is complicated by the challenging terrain and ongoing rainy season.
Many residents in the Marra Mountains had already been displaced due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SLM/A has maintained neutrality in this conflict. Furthermore, Minni Minnawi, the army-aligned governor of Darfur, described the landslide as a “humanitarian tragedy” and urged for immediate international intervention.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the head of the African Union Commission, has called for a ceasefire to allow for effective aid delivery to those affected. The landslide not only resulted in significant loss of life but has also compounded the challenges faced by civilians in conflict-ridden regions of Sudan, where famine and violence against civilians have already created dire humanitarian conditions. The civil war that erupted in April 2023 has already resulted in extensive casualties, with estimates suggesting up to 150,000 people lost their lives and approximately 12 million displaced.
