Jebel Marra landslide kills 375, UN says amid wider Sudan flooding
September 8, 2025 (TERSEEN) – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Monday that a landslide in the village of Terseen in Darfur’s Jebel Marra region has killed 375 people, with relief efforts hampered by rugged terrain and heavy rains.
In a statement on the social media platform X, the UNFPA added that “many still remain trapped” and that around 150 people have been displaced by the disaster, which struck the village on August 31.
The report from the UN agency contrasts with other initial assessments. The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), which controls the mountainous area, claims the landslide killed the village’s entire population of over a thousand people and completely destroyed the town. The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), meanwhile, has so far reported that 10 homes were destroyed.
On Monday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that a humanitarian mission had reached the stricken village. “We and our humanitarian partners have so far assisted at least 1,000 people impacted by this tragic event,” he stated.
The inter-agency assessment team, comprising UN agencies and international and local NGOs, had to transport supplies using animals, a journey that took more than 12 hours over steep and waterlogged paths, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The mission delivered life-saving aid, including food, dignity kits, and medical supplies. A mobile medical team treated affected families for trauma, malaria, and cholera and conducted nutritional screenings for children.
OCHA stated that the team’s findings, along with the community’s further needs for food, health services, and sanitation, will be discussed on Tuesday.
The disaster comes as Sudan grapples with wider climate-related crises. “Across Sudan, the recurrent floods are deepening humanitarian needs, as thousands of families seek urgent support and shelter,” Dujarric noted.
Over the weekend, flooding in Wad Shaer village in the southeastern state of Gedaref displaced about 2,500 people and destroyed some 500 houses, according to the International Organization for Migration.