A landslide has killed at least 370 people in the remote Marra Mountains in western Sudan, a UN official has told the BBC. Antoine Gérard, the UN's deputy humanitarian co-ordinator for Sudan, stated that assessing the scale of the incident or the exact death toll has been challenging due to difficult accessibility to the area. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), which controls the affected region, indicated that up to 1,000 people may have perished.
The disaster, triggered by days of heavy rain on Sunday, has devastated the village of Tarseen, leaving only one survivor. The SLM/A has appealed for humanitarian assistance from the UN and various regional and international organizations to cope with the aftermath.
Efforts to deliver aid are hindered by challenging roads and ongoing rain, complicating the transport of essential supplies. Many residents from North Darfur, displaced by ongoing conflict, had sought refuge in the Marra Mountains area. The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has already resulted in severe humanitarian crises across the region.
Darfur's governor, Minni Minnawi, described the landslide as a humanitarian tragedy and urgently called for international support. The African Union Commission chairman has also urged warring factions to allow swift delivery of emergency assistance to those impacted.
The recent civil war has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, with estimates suggesting conflict-related deaths may exceed 150,000, with over 12 million people displaced from their homes. Amidst this turmoil, factions of the SLM/A have pledged support to the Sudanese military against the RSF, highlighting the complex and desperate situation in Sudan.
The disaster, triggered by days of heavy rain on Sunday, has devastated the village of Tarseen, leaving only one survivor. The SLM/A has appealed for humanitarian assistance from the UN and various regional and international organizations to cope with the aftermath.
Efforts to deliver aid are hindered by challenging roads and ongoing rain, complicating the transport of essential supplies. Many residents from North Darfur, displaced by ongoing conflict, had sought refuge in the Marra Mountains area. The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has already resulted in severe humanitarian crises across the region.
Darfur's governor, Minni Minnawi, described the landslide as a humanitarian tragedy and urgently called for international support. The African Union Commission chairman has also urged warring factions to allow swift delivery of emergency assistance to those impacted.
The recent civil war has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, with estimates suggesting conflict-related deaths may exceed 150,000, with over 12 million people displaced from their homes. Amidst this turmoil, factions of the SLM/A have pledged support to the Sudanese military against the RSF, highlighting the complex and desperate situation in Sudan.
