At least 1,000 people have been killed in a landslide that destroyed an entire village in the Marra Mountains of western Sudan, a rebel group said.
The landslide in the Darfur region is believed to be among the deadliest natural disasters to hit the country. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, which controls parts of the area, said on Tuesday that it happened on Sunday after a week of heavy rain. There was one survivor in the village of Tersin, the group added.
Images posted online by the group purported to show the village buried by mud and uprooting trees. "Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated at more than 1,000 individuals, with only one survivor," the group said. It called the landslide "massive and devastating".
The group, which appealed to the UN and international aid agencies to help recover bodies, said the village was “completely levelled” and warned the death toll could rise.
Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese have sought refuge in the remote Marra area after fleeing fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. They are mostly from other parts of Darfur.
Sudan's two-year civil war has killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 13 million and caused a grave humanitarian crisis that has left half of Sudan's 50 million people hungry. The rebel group has mostly stayed neutral in the conflict.
The Marra mountains are a rugged volcanic range stretching about 160km south-west of North Darfur's army-held capital of El Fasher, which the RSF has pushed to seize control of. The mountainous region is prone to landslides, particularly during the rainy season that peaks in August. At least 20 people were killed in 2018 landslide in the area.
Much of Darfur, including the area where the landslide occurred, remains largely inaccessible to international aid organisations because of the civil war. The violence has severely limited the delivery of humanitarian supplies.
The heavy rain has also complicated efforts by aid groups to reach those in need, particularly in regions such as Darfur, where infrastructure is already fragile.
The landslide happened a day after Gen Mohamed Dagalo, the RSF commander, was sworn in as the head of a parallel government based in Nyala, Darfur's largest city. The move is has pushed the country closer to breaking up.
The fight for El Fasher has created one of the worst hunger pockets in Sudan, with residents reported to be eating animal feed. Hundreds of civilians, including children, have been killed in the crossfire.
The army regained control of Sudan's capital Khartoum as well as central and eastern regions of the country earlier this year, leaving the RSF with only Darfur and parts of Kordofan.
A recently appointed, military-backed government sits in Port Sudan on the Red Sea in the eastern part of the country.
