By Samuel Njoroge
KHARTOUM, Sudan – A devastating landslide triggered by days of heavy rain in Sudan’s remote Marra Mountains has killed at least 370 people, a United Nations official confirmed, with the death toll potentially much higher as aid efforts face immense challenges in the war-torn region.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, “levelled” much of Tarseen village, leaving just one survivor, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), the armed group controlling the affected area. The SLM/A had earlier estimated the casualties could be as many as 1,000.
Antoine Gérard, the UN’s deputy humanitarian co-ordinator for Sudan, told the BBC that assessing the exact scale of the tragedy was difficult due to the extreme remoteness of the area. “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… bringing in trucks with commodities will be a challenge,” Gérard explained, highlighting the dire logistical hurdles.
Many of the victims were reportedly North Darfur residents who had sought refuge in the relatively stable Marra Mountains region, fleeing the brutal civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SLM/A, which controls the landslide area, has largely remained neutral in the broader conflict.
Both local and international bodies have swiftly appealed for urgent assistance. Darfur’s army-aligned governor, Minni Minnawi, called the landslide a “humanitarian tragedy” and urged international organizations to “urgently intervene and provide support and assistance at this critical moment, for the tragedy is greater than what our people can bear alone.”
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the head of the African Union Commission, called on the warring parties “to silence the guns and unite in facilitating the swift and effective delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance to those in need.”
The disaster unfolds against a backdrop of a catastrophic civil war that erupted in April 2023. The conflict has plunged Sudan into famine, led to accusations of genocide in the western Darfur region, and displaced approximately 12 million people. Estimates for the war’s death toll vary, with a US official last year suggesting up to 150,000 lives may have been lost.
The village of Tarseen, now largely obliterated, was located at the convergence of two gullies on the side of a mountain, as depicted in satellite imagery. The ongoing conflict not only complicates aid delivery but also adds a layer of vulnerability to populations already struggling for survival. While the SLM/A faction in control of Tarseen has been neutral, other factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army have pledged to fight alongside the Sudanese military against the RSF, reflecting the complex and shifting alliances within Darfur. Many Darfuris believe the RSF and allied militias have waged a war aimed at transforming the ethnically mixed region into an Arab-ruled domain.
