Swallowed by the Mountain… Landslides Wipe Out Entire Village in Jebel Marra

The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) has revealed that an entire village in Jebel Marra, Central Darfur State, was wiped out after massive landslides triggered by heavy rains.

According to an SLM statement, all the residents of Tarsin village—estimated at over one thousand people—were killed on Sunday, with only one survivor reported, based on initial information.

The movement said that the victims perished as huge mudslides buried the village following torrential rains that hit the region in the last week of August.

Tarsin, one of Jebel Marra’s best-known citrus-producing areas, has long suffered from poor infrastructure, especially during the rainy season.

The statement appealed to the United Nations as well as regional and international organizations to assist the local civil authority in retrieving bodies from under the rubble.

Access for such organizations, however, requires approval from the Sudanese government and travel permits from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who control most of Darfur—including six out of eight localities in Central Darfur State.