More than 1,000 people are feared to have lost their lives following a landslide in Sudan’s western Darfur region, according to a statement issued by the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM). The group, led by Abdelwahid Mohamed Nour, reported that only one survivor had been found in the affected village in the Marrah Mountains, which collapsed after days of heavy rainfall on 31 August.
The SLM has appealed for urgent assistance from the United Nations and international humanitarian organisations to recover the bodies and respond to the disaster. Independent verification of the reported death toll has not yet been provided by neutral observers or relief agencies.
The Marrah Mountains, a rugged highland region in central Darfur, have long served as a place of refuge for civilians displaced by Sudan’s ongoing conflict. Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal civil war between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence has displaced more than 11 million people, left tens of thousands dead, and created one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies on the African continent, with an estimated 30 million people requiring aid.
In January 2024, the United States government declared that atrocities committed by the RSF and allied militias in Sudan amounted to genocide. The RSF rejected this determination, describing it as politically motivated and drawing parallels with historic Western policies against African liberation leaders.
Fissures within Darfur’s armed movements have added complexity to the conflict. While Abdelwahid Mohamed Nour’s SLM faction remains opposed to both the army and the RSF, another leader, Minni Minnawi, announced in March 2024 that 1,500 of his fighters would support the Sudanese army in its struggle against the paramilitary group.
The reported landslide underscores the compounding vulnerabilities faced by civilians in Darfur, where conflict, climate extremes, and humanitarian blockades converge. The lack of adequate food, shelter, and medical supplies in mountain refuges has left many communities exposed to disaster.
Sudan’s unfolding crisis demands greater attention within Africa and beyond, not only as a humanitarian emergency but also as a test of collective responses to conflicts shaped by history, geopolitics, and ecological pressures. The evolving situation continues to highlight the urgent need for credible, African-led interventions capable of addressing both immediate relief and long-term stability.
