September 2, 2025 – A catastrophic landslide has devastated Sudan’s Darfur region, wiping out an entire village in the remote Marrah Mountains and killing more than 1,000 people. The tragedy, described as one of the deadliest natural disasters in Sudan’s recent history, struck on August 31 after days of relentless rainfall.
A Village Erased in Seconds
The landslide hit the village of Tarasin (also reported as Tarseen) in Central Darfur’s mountainous Jebel Marra area, completely leveling it to the ground. According to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), which controls the region, nearly all residents perished—only one survivor has been confirmed.
“Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than 1,000 individuals, with only one survivor,” the group said in its statement.
The SLM/A, led by Abdelwahid Mohamed Nour, called the disaster’s scale “immense and beyond description,” while urgently appealing to the United Nations and international humanitarian agencies for support in recovering the bodies of victims, including children.
Conflict and Hunger Compound the Crisis
The landslide comes amid a devastating two-year civil war in Sudan, which has left more than half of the country’s population facing crisis levels of hunger and displaced millions from their homes. The conflict has made communities more vulnerable to Sudan’s yearly cycles of flooding and heavy rains.
Access to the affected area is extremely difficult. The Marrah Mountains are largely unreachable by car or other land transport, forcing people to rely on foot or donkeys to navigate the rugged terrain. This remoteness, compounded by ongoing conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), poses severe challenges to relief and recovery operations.
Government Reactions
In Khartoum, the Sovereign Council, Sudan’s ruling military authority, expressed its condolences, mourning “the death of hundreds of innocent residents” in the landslide. It pledged to mobilize “all possible capabilities” to support the affected area.
The army-controlled government signaled readiness to assist, while the RSF-led administration that controls the surrounding areas of Jebel Marra has so far remained silent.
Recovery Efforts Hampered
Journalists and aid workers report that retrieving the bodies buried under the landslide will be an immense challenge. Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall noted the lack of specialized equipment and teams to carry out such operations in remote conditions. Without international support, many victims may never receive proper burials.
“This is going to take a long time, and maybe it won’t even take place if there are no international teams that are specialized in these types of activities,” Vall reported from Khartoum.
An Urgent Call for Help
As Sudan grapples with civil war, hunger, and displacement, the landslide has dealt another devastating blow to already vulnerable communities. Humanitarian groups warn that without swift international intervention, both the recovery of victims and the survival of survivors in nearby areas will remain in jeopardy.
Abdelwahid Nour of the SLM/A stressed the urgency: “The scale and magnitude of the disaster are immense and defy description.”
The tragedy in Tarasin is a stark reminder of the human toll exacted by both nature and conflict—and the pressing need for global solidarity in Sudan’s darkest hour.