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Hundreds feared dead in devastating Sudan landslide

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2 months ago

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Sudanese authorities, the United Nations and aid groups scrambled Tuesday to respond to a devastating landslide in Sudan’s Darfur region that buried an entire mountain village, killing hundreds of people.

Heavy rain triggered the disaster on Sunday, flattening the village of Tarasin in the remote Jebel Marra range, the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army faction which controls the area said.

UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan Luca Renda said in a statement that “the United Nations and our humanitarian partners are mobilising to provide support to the affected population”.

Citing sources on the ground, Renda said the death toll from the landslide was believed to be between 300 and 1,000.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the full scale of the disaster remains unclear “as the impacted area is extremely hard to reach”.

The SLM faction, led by Abdulwahid al-Nur, had earlier estimated the death toll at more than 1,000 people, with only one survivor.

That survivor, according to his nephew Fath al-Rahman Ali Abdelnour, suffered multiple fractures to both legs and a serious head injury.

“He is in a coma and unable to speak,” Abdelnour told AFP from the Ugandan capital of Kampala where he lives.

Abdelnour, whose father had founded Tarasin in the 1980s, said that in addition to longtime residents, the village has also hosted around 450 people displaced by Sudan’s ongoing war between the army and rival paramilitaries.

The war, which began in April 2023, has ravaged Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people and driving millions from their homes, according to UN figures.

-‘Masses of mud’ –

SLM leader Nur told AFP via a messaging app that “masses of mud fell onto the village.”

“Our humanitarian teams and local residents are trying to retrieve the bodies, but the scale of the disaster is far greater than the resources available to us,” he said.

Images the SLM published on its website appeared to show vast swathes of the mountainside sheared away, with the village below buried under thick mud and uprooted trees.

The African Union called on “all Sudanese stakeholders to silence the guns and unite in facilitating the swift and effective delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance.”

On Monday, both the army-aligned government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces called for humanitarian mobilisation in response to the disaster, but neither mentioned any potential ceasefire.

The SLM controls parts of the Jebel Marra range and has mostly stayed out of the war.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled into SLM-held territory to escape the violence.

Jebel Marra is a rugged volcanic range stretching about 160 kilometres (100 miles) southwest from North Darfur’s besieged state capital El-Fasher, which the RSF is pushing to capture after besieging it for more than a year.

The area, known for citrus production, is prone to landslides, particularly during the rainy season which peaks in August. A 2018 landslide in nearby Toukoli killed at least 20 people.

-‘Painful disaster’ –

The Transitional Sovereignty Council of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan pledged to mobilise all available resources to support those affected by what it described as a “painful disaster”.

The paramilitary-backed rival government based in South Darfur state capital Nyala has issued a statement announcing aid efforts.

Mohamed Hassan al-Taayshi, the prime minister recently sworn in by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, expressed deep sorrow, saying he had spoken directly with SLM leader Nur to assess needs on the ground.

“The lives and safety of Sudanese citizens are above any political or military considerations,” Taayshi said.

Much of Darfur — including the area where the landslide occurred — remains inaccessible to international aid organisations due to ongoing fighting, severely limiting the delivery of emergency relief.

The disaster also comes during Sudan’s rainy season, which often renders mountain roads impassable.

In Sudan’s main war zones like Darfur, infrastructure was already fragile after more than two years of fighting.

On Tuesday the army-aligned government, based in Port Sudan on the Rea Sea, announced that it would extend through the end of the year a decision to open the Adre border crossing with Chad — a critical lifeline for humanitarian aid.

The move “coincides with the disaster in Tarasin”, the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

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Lagos: Tears, chaos as bulldozers storm Oworonshoki at midnight, demolish more buildings

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5 hours ago

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October 26, 2025

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Residents of the Ojulari community in Oworonshoki, Lagos, have raised fresh alarm after demolition teams reportedly returned late Saturday night to pull down more houses in the area.

It was gathered that the operation continued into the early hours of Sunday despite widespread protests and resistance.

Eyewitnesses told reporters on Sunday morning that at least two bulldozers were deployed for the exercise, accompanied by a large number of police officers.

According to residents, over 50 armed policemen fired teargas through the night to disperse those attempting to resist the demolition. They claimed the operation had not ceased as of early Sunday.

“We didn’t sleep at all. They came back in the night after we stopped them in the morning. Even now, Sunday morning, the demolition is still ongoing,” one resident, Olanrewaju Segun said.

“More than 50 police officers were shooting teargas at people protesting as they pulled down our homes. Many don’t know where to go. This is a grave injustice.”

Earlier on Saturday, residents had successfully blocked an initial attempt to demolish homes in the Udi Araba area, a densely populated section overlooking the Lagos Lagoon.

“They started demolishing without marking any building. We quickly mobilised and stopped them, and that was how they left in the morning. But we didn’t know they would return at midnight,” another resident said.

Some residents have accused the Oba of Oworonshoki, Oba Babatunde Saliu, of supporting the demolition to reclaim waterfront lands allegedly meant for private development.

However, the monarch has denied any involvement, stating that he too had previously suffered losses from a similar government-led exercise.

“I was also a victim when I unknowingly built on land that had been acquired by the government. I have no hand in any demolition,” he said.

The Baale of Oworonshoki, Chief Olorunwa Luwa, also condemned the ongoing exercise, insisting it was not sanctioned by any government authority.

“If this were a government-approved operation, it wouldn’t happen at midnight or 3 a.m. People with genuine property documents are losing their homes in this lawless exercise,” he said.

As of Sunday morning, residents said the demolitions were still ongoing, leaving scores of families homeless and in shock over what they described as “a coordinated night assault” on their community.

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‘Lagos Govt Property Demolition Was Not Authorized By Any Court’ – Falana

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5 hours ago

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October 26, 2025

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has stated that no court authorised the Lagos State government’s demolition exercise.

It was recalls that Justice Adegboyega Balogun of the Lagos State High Court issued an interim order stopping further demolition of properties in parts of Oworonsoki, after complaints by affected residents who denied receiving any compensation.

Justice Balogun granted a restraining order against the respondents and their agents or contractors, prohibiting further demolitions or the creation of third-party interests over properties located on Ojileru Street, Ososa Extension, and Toluwalase Street within the Itesiwaju Ajumoni Community Development Area (CDA).

In a statement on Sunday, Falana alleged that the Lagos State Government demolished no fewer than 100 properties in Oworonsoki despite a court restraining order.

According to Falana, he demolition exercise carried out in the dead of the night has led many families to be displaced.

The statement read, “In flagrant breach and contempt of the subsisting court order and upon the service of the court order on them, the defendants mobilised over 50 armed policemen and thugs who fired teargas throughout the night to disperse those protesting the demolition and proceeded to commence a fresh demolition.

“The demolition, which was carried out in the dead of the night, has led to the destruction of not less than 100 properties, with many families displaced. The action of the demolition squad was not authorised by any court.

“The action of the demolished squad is a sad reminder of the aggravated contempt committed by the Lagos State Government, 39 years ago, in the celebrated case of The Military Governor of Lagos State & Ors. v. Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu & Anor. (1986) 2 NWLR (PT 18) 621, where the Supreme Court set a precedent against disregard for due process and the rule of law.

Notwithstanding that the country was then under a military junta, the Supreme Court deprecated the action of the Lagos State Government in defying a court order and resorting to self-help.”

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Resident Doctors To Begin Indefinite Strike November 1

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6 hours ago

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October 26, 2025

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The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced plans to commence an indefinite nationwide strike from November 1, 2025.

It was reports that the decision followed a five-hour meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) on Saturday.

In a statement on Sunday, NARD President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, said the action became inevitable after the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government over unresolved demands.

The association is demanding a 200 percent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), full implementation of new allowances proposed since July 2022, immediate recruitment of clinical staff, and removal of bottlenecks hindering the replacement of exiting doctors.

“The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action,” the statement partly read.

Suleiman explained that the National Officers Committee (NOC) has been mandated to ensure full compliance across all centres.

He added that centre presidents and general secretaries have been directed to convene emergency congress meetings to brief members on the resolutions.

The NARD president also accused some actors within and outside government of plotting against doctors.

He said, “We are aware of evil and exploitative plans against resident doctors, and the union will collectively resist such moves.”

Suleiman urged resident doctors to use the next few days to properly hand over patients, engage community and religious leaders, and sensitise the public ahead of the strike.

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