2025 Tarasin landslide
| Date | August 31, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Location | Marrah Mountains in Central Darfur, western Sudan |
| Coordinates | 13°15′15″N 24°20′38″E / 13.25413°N 24.3439°E |
| Type | Landslide |
| Cause | Days of heavy rainfall |
| Outcome | Village destroyed |
| Deaths | "scores"–1,000 |
On August 31, 2025, a landslide destroyed the village of Tarasin in the Marrah Mountains in Central Darfur, western Sudan, killing "scores" to 1,000 people.
Impact
[edit]The landslide occurred at Tarasin (Turrah, Turra),[1] a village in the Marrah Mountains in Central Darfur, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM),[2] which controls much of the area.[3] The SLM said that around 1,000 people died, adding that the death toll was a preliminary estimate and that their early assessment suggest "the death of all village residents".[1] One survivor was later found,[4] described by a relative as being in a coma after sustaining multiple fractures to both legs and a serious head injury.[5] By 3 September, 100 bodies had been recovered from the site.[6] The International Organization for Migration said that 150 people were displaced from the area.[7]
The landslide was attributed by the Sudanese Ministry of Minerals to heavy rain during the last week of August that destabilised the mountain slopes.[7] The affected village was situated in an area known for growing citruses.[8] The SLM added that 1,500 homes were destroyed while over 4,000 head of livestock were lost.[9]
Images from the site showed two gullies on a mountainside converging at a lower level where the village was located.[10] The United Nations initially said that it had confirmed at least 370 deaths, adding that it was hard to assess the scale of the incident or the exact death toll due to the area's remote location.[10] It later revised the potential death toll down to "scores" for undisclosed reasons.[11] Doctors Without Borders noted the ongoing Sudanese civil war as a complicating factor. The SLM said the area was accessible only by foot or donkeys.[12]
Aftermath
[edit]The SLM made appeals to the United Nations and international humanitarian organisations for assistance in retrieving the dead.[4] The SLM's leader, Abdul Wahid al-Nur, said residents of other villages were fearful of a similar disaster impacting them.[13] The SLM also accused elements from the former regime of Omar al-Bashir embedded in the SAF-aligned government based in Port Sudan of spreading disinformation to downplay the scale of the disaster.[7]
Both of the competing governments headed by the main factions in the civil war, namely the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, pledged to provide assistance to the victims. The African Union called for a ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of aid.[14] On 2 September, the SAF-aligned government that it would continue to open the Adre border crossing with Chad until the end of the year in consideration over the landslide.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Sudan Landslide Kills More Than 1,000 In Darfur: Armed Group". Agence France-Presse. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
- ^ "Landslide wipes out entire village in Central Darfur's Jebel Marra". Sudan Tribune. 2025-09-01. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
- ^ "'Massive' Sudan landslide kills more than 1,000 in Darfur, rebel group says". France 24. 2025-09-02. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
- ^ a b Abdelaziz, Khalid; Alashray, Enas (2 September 2025). "Over 1,000 killed in landslide in western Sudan village, Sudan Liberation Movement/Army says". Reuters. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Landslide wipes out Sudan village, killing hundreds". France 24. 2025-09-03. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ^ "Dozens of bodies recovered from village hit by landslide in Darfur as pope prays for victims". AP News. 2025-09-03. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ^ a b c "Sudan: Jebel Marra landslide death toll now exceeds 1,000". Radio Dabanga. 2025-09-03. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
- ^ "تحرير السودان: أكثر من ألف قتيل في انهيار أرضي بجبل مرة غرب البلاد" [Sudan Liberation Movement: More than 1,000 killed in Jebel Marra landslide in western Sudan]. Al Bawaba News (in Arabic). 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
- ^ "Sudan rebels launch rescue effort, insist over 1,000 died in landslide". Sudan Tribune. 2025-09-03. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
- ^ a b "Hundreds killed in Sudan landslide, UN says". BBC. 2025-09-02. Archived from the original on 2025-09-02. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
- ^ "Sudan landslide may have killed scores, U.N. says". The Washington Post. 2025-09-02. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
- ^ "Sudan landslide kills more than 1,000 people after wiping out village in Darfur". AP News. 2025-09-02. Archived from the original on 2025-09-02. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
- ^ Abdelaziz, Khalid; Alashray, Enas; Eltahir, Nafisa (2 September 2025). "Plea for help after landslide wipes out Sudan village, kills more than 1,000". Reuters. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
- ^ "UN mobilises response after Sudan landslide kills hundreds". France 24. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.