By Gloria Nosa
A catastrophic landslide has buried the village of Tarasin in Sudan’s Jebel Marra mountains, killing more than 1,000 residents and leaving only one known survivor, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM).
The disaster struck on Sunday following days of relentless rainfall, which triggered the collapse of a mountainside and flattened the entire settlement. In a statement, the SLM, led by Abdulwahid al-Nur, described the incident as “massive and devastating,” adding that nearly every inhabitant of the remote village had been wiped out.
“Initial reports suggest that all residents, estimated at more than 1,000 individuals, perished, with only one survivor,” the group confirmed.
Photos shared by the movement on social media showed vast sections of the mountain reduced to rubble, with thick mud, uprooted trees, and wooden beams covering what was once a bustling community.
The SLM has appealed urgently to the United Nations and humanitarian agencies to assist with recovery efforts and help retrieve bodies still trapped beneath the debris.
The tragedy comes as Sudan continues to battle a brutal civil war between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has plunged the country into one of the world’s deepest humanitarian crises, forcing hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in SLM-controlled areas of Jebel Marra.
Jebel Marra, a sprawling volcanic range about 160 kilometers southwest of El-Fasher, remains a strategic region. While the SLM has largely stayed on the sidelines of the ongoing war, it now faces the compounded challenge of managing a natural disaster amid widespread displacement and insecurity.
The Tarasin landslide underscores the vulnerability of communities already devastated by conflict and poverty, leaving a haunting reminder of nature’s power in a land already torn apart by war.
