A catastrophic landslide struck the village of Tarasin in the Marrah Mountains of western Darfur on August 31, killing over 1,000 people, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement–Army (SLM–A), which controls the region. Initial reports suggest all residents perished, with only a single survivor rescued from the debris.
Heavy rains in late August triggered the collapse, completely leveling the village and burying homes, farms, and lives under tons of earth and rubble. The death toll includes men, women and children, and is being described as one of the deadliest natural disasters in Sudan’s recent history.
The SLM–A has appealed urgently to the United Nations and international relief agencies for assistance in recovering bodies and providing aid, noting that access is severely restricted due to ongoing civil war, which has displaced millions and created widespread famine conditions.
The disaster strikes amid Sudan’s third year of internal conflict, pitting the Sudanese army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has intensified in the Darfur region. Many villagers had sought shelter in the remotest parts of the Marrah Mountains after fleeing fighting in North Darfur’s Al-Fashir, only to be caught in this sudden, devastating collapse.
Local officials have described the episode as a “humanitarian tragedy beyond the borders of the region,” and warned that without urgent international action, many bodies may remain permanently unrecovered and bereaved families without closure.
