Darfur Landslide Claims Entire Village, Only One Survivor Reported
Khartoum, Sudan – September 2, 2025 –
A massive landslide in Sudan’s western Darfur region has destroyed the mountain village of Tarasin, killing over 1,000 residents and leaving only one person alive, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM).
The disaster struck on Sunday following days of heavy rainfall in the Jebel Marra mountains. The SLM described the event as “massive and devastating” and called on the United Nations and international aid organizations to assist with recovery efforts for the hundreds of victims still buried under mud and debris.
Social media images shared by the SLM showed large sections of the mountainside collapsed, with homes, trees, and other structures swept away.
Sudan is currently engulfed in a violent conflict between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has left millions displaced and severely restricted humanitarian access to regions like Jebel Marra. The ongoing fighting, combined with the rainy season, has made relief efforts extremely challenging.
Darfur’s army-aligned governor, Minni Minnawi, called the landslide a “humanitarian tragedy” and urged international organizations to provide urgent aid, emphasizing that local communities cannot cope with the scale of the disaster alone.
The Jebel Marra mountains are prone to landslides during heavy rains, and past incidents, like a 2018 landslide in nearby Toukoli, have also claimed lives. The current tragedy underscores the compounded risks faced by civilians amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict and fragile infrastructure.
The UN reports that roughly 10 million people are internally displaced in Sudan, with an additional 4 million living as refugees in neighboring countries, highlighting the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
