A devastating landslide triggered by days of heavy rain has claimed the lives of at least 370 individuals in the remote Marra Mountains of western Sudan. This stark revelation comes from Antoine Gérard, the UN’s deputy humanitarian co-ordinator for Sudan, who emphasised the difficulty in assessing the full scale of the disaster due to the area’s challenging accessibility.
The region has been battered by ongoing conflict, forcing many residents from North Darfur to seek refuge in the Marra Mountains, where they believed they would find safety. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, the armed group in control of the region, has reported a much higher death count, stating that upwards of 1,000 people may have perished in the calamity. “The village of Tarseen was levelled,” their statement read, adding that only one survivor has been identified amidst the wreckage.
In light of the crisis, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army has urgently appealed for humanitarian assistance from the UN and various international organisations. However, the road to delivering aid is fraught with logistical challenges, according to Mr Gérard. “We do not have helicopters; everything goes in vehicles on very bumpy roads,” he explained, noting that the ongoing rainy season complicates efforts further. “Sometimes we have to wait hours, maybe a day or two to cross a valley…bringing in trucks with commodities will be a challenge.”
Minni Minnawi, the army-aligned governor of Darfur, labelled the incident a “humanitarian tragedy” and called for swift intervention from international bodies. “We appeal to humanitarian organisations to urgently intervene and provide support… for the tragedy is greater than what our people can bear alone,” he urged, highlighting the desperate need for aid amidst an already strained humanitarian situation.
As the civil war rages on, erupting in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the plight of the Sudanese people continues to worsen. The conflict has plunged Sudan into famine and widespread suffering, with a US official estimating that up to 150,000 lives have been lost and approximately 12 million individuals displaced since the fighting began. As accusations of genocide mount in the western Darfur region, the political landscape grows increasingly complex with factions within the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army pledging their allegiance to fight against the RSF alongside the Sudanese military.
Many residents of Darfur remain fearful, believing that the RSF and their allied militias are attempting to transform the ethnically diverse region into one dominated by Arab governance.