At least 1,000 people have been killed in a landslide in a region in Sudan, which is already suffering its darkest chapter amid a famine and claims of a genocide.
Days of heavy rain triggered the avalanche of mud and debris on Sunday in the western Darfur region and ‘completely levelled’ the village of Tarasin, in the Marra mountains.
Only a single resident is believed tohave survived the disaster, the Sudan Liberation Movement/ Army (SLM) has said.
The group said in a statement: ‘Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than 1,000 individuals, with only one survivor.’
The ‘massive and devastating’ landslide ‘completely destroyed’ part of a region known for citrus production, it added.
The group appealed to the United Nations and other aid organisations for help recovering the victims still buried under dirt and debris.
Sudan is embroiled in a bloody civil war between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has plunged the country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The SLM has mostly stayed out of the violence, but controls parts of the country’s tallest mountain range.
Darfur’s army-aligned governor, Minni Minnawi, described the landslide as a ‘humanitarian tragedy that goes beyond the borders of the region’.
He said: ‘We appeal to international humanitarian 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.’
Much of Darfur – including the area where the landslide occurred – remains largely inaccessible to international aid organisations due to the war, which severely limits the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance.
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