- A devastating landslide in Sudan’s Marra Mountains has killed over 1,000 people, wiping out the village of Tarasin.
- Triggered by days of heavy rain, the disaster struck a region already overwhelmed by civil war and mass displacement.
- The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, which controls the area, confirmed only one survivor and has appealed for international aid.
- The tragedy underscores the compounded suffering in Darfur, where over 800,000 people have fled since conflict erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF in 2023.
Sudan’s Darfur region has been plunged into deeper tragedy after a landslide buried the mountain village of Tarasin, killing more than 1,000 people in what is now one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters.
The landslide struck on Sunday following days of relentless rainfall in the Marra Mountains, a remote area that has become a refuge for thousands fleeing the civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), which controls the region, confirmed that only one person survived the disaster — a woman now in critical condition.
Images shared by the group show the village completely flattened, with thick mud and uprooted trees covering what was once home to hundreds of displaced families. Tarasin had also hosted around 450 war refugees from North Darfur, many of whom had fled the siege of El-Fasher, the state capital.
The SLM/A has appealed to the United Nations and international aid agencies for urgent assistance, citing the overwhelming scale of the disaster and the lack of resources to recover bodies or provide shelter. Access to the area remains limited due to ongoing fighting, impassable roads, and fragile infrastructure.
Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023, has already displaced over 12 million people and killed an estimated 150,000, according to U.S. officials. The conflict has triggered famine, accusations of genocide, and a collapse of basic services across Darfur.
While the SLM/A has largely stayed neutral in the war, factions within the group have pledged to support the Sudanese army against the RSF. Many Darfuris believe the RSF and allied militias are attempting to reshape the region into an Arab-dominated territory — a claim that has fueled ethnic tensions and deepened the humanitarian crisis.
As the rainy season continues, fears are growing that other villages in the Marra Mountains could face similar devastation. The African Union and Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council have called for emergency aid mobilization, but no ceasefire has been declared to facilitate relief efforts.
For the survivors and families of Tarasin, the landslide is not just a natural disaster — it’s a cruel extension of a war that has already taken everything.
