A devastating landslide in the remote Marra Mountains in western Sudan has killed at least 1,000, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, a rebel faction operating in the area.
The disaster, caused by several days of heavy rainfall, struck on 31 August, wiping out much of the village of Tarasin, leaving only one survivor, the rebel group said in a statement.
The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army has called on the United Nations and other regional and international organizations for urgent humanitarian assistance, reports the BBC.
The area served as a refuge for many people from North Darfur, who fled their homes due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and RSF, has devastated the country, causing widespread famine and triggering accusations of genocide in the western Darfur region.
Nearly 12 million people have been displaced since the war began. A US official had estimated last year that up to 150,000 people had been killed, though estimates of the death toll from the conflict vary.
The movement, which controls the region affected by the landslide, has vowed to continue fighting alongside the Sudanese military against the RSF.
Many in Darfur believe the RSF and its allied militias are engaged in a campaign to turn the ethnically diverse region into an Arab-majority domain under their rule.
