Sudan is reeling from a catastrophic landslide that wiped an entire mountain village off the map, leaving more than 1,000 people dead and exposing the deep vulnerabilities of a nation already battered by civil war, displacement, and humanitarian crisis. The disaster struck on Sunday, August 31, 2025, when days of relentless heavy rain triggered a massive landslide in the remote village of Tarseen—also known as Tarasin or Tarsin—in the Jebel Marra region of Central Darfur. In a matter of moments, a community famed for its citrus orchards and home to hundreds of people, including many already displaced by conflict, was buried beneath tons of earth and debris.
The scale of destruction has stunned even those familiar with Sudan’s long history of tragedy. According to multiple reports, including from Reuters and France 24, the landslide left only one known survivor. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), which controls the area, stated bluntly, “Tarseen, famed for its citrus production, has now been completely levelled to the ground.” The group’s leader, Abdelwahid Mohamed Nur, issued a desperate plea: “Nearby villagers are overwhelmed with fear that a similar fate might befall them if the ... torrential rainfall persists, which underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive evacuation plan and provision of emergency shelter.”
Official estimates of the death toll have varied, but the SLM/A, as well as numerous international news outlets, have placed the number of fatalities at over 1,000. Luca Renda, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, cited local sources in a statement, saying, “the death toll from the landslide was believed to be between 300 and 1,000.” Volunteers managed to recover just nine bodies in the immediate aftermath, with the rest still trapped beneath the rubble. The Sudan Sovereignty Council, the country’s governing body, confirmed hundreds of deaths, while the SLM/A’s higher estimate has become the grim benchmark for the tragedy’s scale.
The response from the international community has been swift but hampered by the region’s isolation and the ongoing conflict. Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry expressed condolences, saying, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of many lives and the devastation caused by the landslide in the Jebel Marra region of Sudan’s Central Darfur State,” and offered prayers for the deceased and sympathy to the Sudanese people. Pope Leo also sent his condolences and prayers, the Vatican confirmed.
The United Nations, together with humanitarian partners, has begun mobilizing support for the affected population. “The United Nations and our humanitarian partners are mobilising to provide support to the affected population,” said Luca Renda. The African Union called on “all Sudanese stakeholders to silence the guns and unite in facilitating the swift and effective delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance.” On Monday, both the army-aligned government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) called for humanitarian mobilisation in response to the disaster, though notably, neither side mentioned any potential ceasefire.
The logistics of delivering aid have proven daunting. According to Arjimand Hussain of Plan International, the last 45 kilometers of the route to Tarseen were impassable to vehicles as of early September, meaning that only those on foot or donkey could reach the devastated site. Continuing rains have made travel even more difficult, raising fears that more villages could be at risk if the weather does not improve. “Continuing rains have made travel in the region difficult and could impede any rescue or aid efforts,” Reuters reported.
The disaster comes at a time when Sudan is already in the grip of a devastating civil war. Since April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to United Nations figures. Some U.S. university research places the death toll far higher, estimating around 130,000 deaths. The conflict has left millions without adequate food, shelter, or medical supplies, and has exposed them to the country’s damaging annual floods. The landslide, then, is both a tragedy in its own right and a brutal reminder of the compounded crises facing Sudan.
The SLM/A, which has long controlled and governed an autonomous portion of Jebel Marra, appealed to the United Nations and international aid agencies for help in collecting the bodies of victims—including men, women, and children. The group’s neutrality in the ongoing civil war has not spared its territory from suffering. The village of Tarseen had also hosted hundreds of people displaced by fighting elsewhere, making the loss even more acute. According to Abdelhafiz Ali from the Jebel Marra Emergency Room, “Nine bodies were recovered by volunteers,” but the vast majority remain buried.
Meanwhile, the government in Khartoum and the RSF’s rival administration both expressed condolences and a willingness to assist. The prime minister of the RSF-controlled government, Mohamed Hassan al-Taishi, said he would coordinate with the SLM/A on aid delivery. Yet, despite these pledges, the realities on the ground—impassable roads, ongoing rain, and the ever-present threat of violence—mean that help has been slow to arrive.
For survivors and those in neighboring villages, fear is mounting. The SLM/A’s leader, Abdelwahid Mohamed Nur, stressed the need for evacuation plans and emergency shelter, warning that “nearby villagers are overwhelmed with fear that a similar fate might befall them if the ... torrential rainfall persists.” Tawila, where many displaced people have sought refuge, is grappling with a cholera outbreak, as are other parts of Darfur. The combination of disease, hunger, and the threat of further natural disasters has created a dire situation for hundreds of thousands.
The African Union’s call for a cessation of hostilities and for all sides to facilitate humanitarian aid has so far gone unheeded. The ongoing conflict complicates every aspect of the response, from the mobilization of resources to the safe passage of aid workers. Yet, in the face of this tragedy, there have been moments of unity, however fleeting. Both the army-controlled government and the RSF-controlled administration have publicly mourned the victims and pledged support—though the absence of a ceasefire casts doubt on how effective these efforts will be.
As Sudan grapples with the aftermath of the landslide, the world’s attention is once again drawn to the country’s overlapping crises. The destruction of Tarseen is a stark reminder of how natural disasters can devastate communities already pushed to the brink by conflict and deprivation. The coming weeks will test the ability of the international community, Sudan’s warring factions, and local aid groups to deliver relief to those in desperate need, and to prevent further tragedy as the rains continue to fall.
For the people of Darfur, the hope is that this disaster might at least prompt a pause in the violence, and that the world’s outpouring of sympathy can be matched by concrete action on the ground.