A landslide swept away a village in remote mountains of western Sudan’s Darfur region killing about 1,000 people, news agencies reported, citing a rebel group in the area.
The landslide “completely leveled” the village of Tarasin on Sunday, leaving only one survivor, news agencies reported, citing a statement from the rebel group that controls the area, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A).
The rebel group, in a statement issued late on Monday, estimated 1,000 people were killed in the landslide, which followed days of heavy rains in the Marra
Mountains.
“Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than one thousand individuals, with only one survivor,” the group said in a statement.
Can you imagine a whole village just vanished
Breaking News – Statement of Condolence
Sudan Liberation Movement / Army – General CommandWith deep sorrow and concern, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army reports on the tragic landslide that struck Tarsin village in the Jebel… pic.twitter.com/Ym3hNRkjpB
— Sadeia (@sadiea8) September 1, 2025
Why It Matters
Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating civil war, sparking the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Tensions between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) came to a head in April 2023, four years after the fall of longtime President Omar al-Bashir at the hands of a popular uprising.
The landslide disaster compounds the misery for a country where the unrelenting conflict has set off what the U.N. food agency calls the world’s largest and worst hunger crisis.
Relief organizations operating in Sudan said earlier in the year that President Donald Trump‘s decision to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has triggered an immediate humanitarian crisis there.
According to reports, various outside powers in the Middle East, Africa and further afield have provided military assistance to one or other of the rival sides, complicating efforts to end the conflict.
AFP/Getty Images
What To Know
The SLM/A appealed to the United Nations and international aid agencies for help in recovering the bodies of victims, including children.
Newsweek contacted the SLM/A for details on the situation via email.
Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council in Khartoum mourned “the death of hundreds of innocent residents” in the Marrah Mountains’ landslide, The Associated Press reported. It said in a statement “all possible capabilities” have been mobilized to support the area.
The disaster comes as Sudan’s war is exacerbating its humanitarian crisis.
People fleeing clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF in North Darfur state had sought shelter in the Marra Mountains, and food and medication were in short supply, the Reuters news agency reported.
Factions of the SLM/A, which controls the area where the landslide occurred, have pledged to fight alongside the Sudanese military against the RSF.
Aid groups say Sudan has been devastated by the conflict since 2023 with more than 8 million people forced from their homes, and millions facing extreme hunger, insecurity, and limited access to basic services.
What People Are Saying
The World Food Program says of Sudan: “Famine has been confirmed in multiple areas and could spread even further if we do not act immediately.”
The aid group Doctors Without Borders says: “The war in Sudan has had disastrous consequences for people’s health and well-being.”
What Happens Next
The site of the disaster cannot be reached by vehicle, according to reports, so it will take some time to organize any attempt to retrieve the bodies of those killed.
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