Conflicting death tolls in wake of Jebel Marra landslide

Reports indicate that volunteers in Tarsin, Jebel Marra, the mountain range spanning South and Central Darfur, have recovered 373 bodies after last Sunday’s devastating landslide, according to the civil authority linked to the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid Nur (SLM-AW).

Mujib El Rahman El Zubair, head of the authority, told Radio Dabanga the disaster has killed at least 1,573 people, with some victims swept away by floods. He said dozens of villages have been buried under rocks and dust, while livestock and crops were wiped out.

An assessment team from the Sudanese Red Crescent Society’s South Darfur branch travelled to Tarsin to evaluate the humanitarian situation and identify urgent needs, earlier this week. The team includes specialists in food security, first aid, and water, sanitation and hygiene.

The Federal Ministry of Health dismissed these figures, reporting only two deaths, prompting SLM-AW spokesman Mohamed Abdelrahman El Nair to condemn the ministry’s statement as “a moral and political degeneration” of a humanitarian tragedy.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the death toll could not yet be verified, as torrential rains and rugged terrain hinder access. 

The International Organization for Migration confirmed at least 150 people were displaced, while aid teams from 12 local and international organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières and Child Welfare, are on the ground with mobile clinics and relief supplies.

Videos shared by the civil authority show a mass grave where volunteers buried victims. El Zubair described the area as perilous, with new collapses occurring every half hour, and appealed for urgent international intervention.

“The people of Tarsin are living a real tragedy,” he warned. “Every minute of delay means more lives lost.”