Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - A massive landslide struck the Marra mountains in western Sudan on Sunday (31/8/2025), killing more than 1,000 people and leaving only one survivor.
According to a statement from the rebel group Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM) which controls the area, the entire population of a village in the mountainous area was lost buried under landslide material following heavy rain.
"Initial information indicates that the entire village population, estimated at more than a thousand people, died, with only one person surviving," the group said in a statement, as reported by Reuters on Tuesday (2/8/2025).
The SLM, led by Abdelwahid Nour, confirmed that the village was now"completely razed to the ground." They appealed for immediate assistance from the UN and international humanitarian agencies to recover the bodies of the victims, including men, women, and children.
This disaster comes as Sudan remains ravaged by a civil war that has entered its third year, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Famine has been declared in parts of Darfur, while fighting has intensified, particularly in El-Fasher, since the Sudanese military seized control of the capital, Khartoum, last March.
Many residents fleeing fighting between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary force have reportedly sought refuge in the Marra Mountains. However, the region lacks food and medical supplies, making the situation even more vulnerable.
Although not heavily involved in the conflict between the military and the RSF, the SLM still controls parts of Sudan's highest mountain ranges.
Darfur's military-aligned governor, Minni Minnawi, called the disaster a humanitarian tragedy whose impacts transcended regional borders.
"We appeal to international humanitarian organizations to immediately intervene and provide support and assistance at this critical time, because this tragedy is greater than our people can bear alone," he said.
However, access to humanitarian aid is extremely limited. Large parts of Darfur, including the landslide area, are difficult for international organizations to reach due to ongoing fighting. This has hampered the delivery of urgent aid.
Since the outbreak of the war, tens of thousands of people have reportedly been killed and millions more displaced, including some four million from the capital, Khartoum, alone. Hundreds more deaths have been reported in recent months, while civilians in El-Fasher say the RSF is carrying out its most brutal attack yet on the North Darfur state capital.
