As many as 1000 people have been killed in the Central Darfur State of Western Sudan after heavy rains triggered a landslide on Tuesday, the rebel group said.
The Sudan Liberation Movement Army (SLM/A), the group that controls the area, said in a statement that the entire population of the Tarsin village in the Marra mountains was killed on August 31 after the area was struck by a landslide. They said only one person out of the 1000 survived the disaster, adding that the entire village got washed away in the floods.
The group has requested international organisations, including the United Nations, to assist in the recovery of dead bodies buried under the rubble.
In another statement, Darfur regional Governor Minni Arko Minnawi called the incident “a human tragedy that exceeds borders and regions.”
He appealed to international humanitarian organisations to “extend their support and intervene urgently to provide support and assistance at this critical moment, as the tragedy is beyond the capacity of our people.” However, the Sudanese government has yet to confirm the incident on Tuesday morning.
SLM/A is a political and military movement operating in some parts of the Central Darfur state, which is under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The disaster struck central Darfur amid an ongoing war between the army and RSF, which has so far killed around 20,000 people and displaced 14 million since April 2023, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.
Also Read: Kartarpur Sahib shrine will be restored, says Pak army chief
Follow us
