Landslide in Darfur: 1,000 dead and cholera risk rising!

Landslide in Darfur: 1,000 dead and cholera risk rising!

On Sunday, a devastating landslide occurred in the Marrah Mountains in the Darfur region of Sudan, burying an entire village in masses of mud. According to estimates, up to 1,000 people died, while around 5,000 animals fell victim to the accident. Francesco Lanino from Save the Children warned of the risk of water contamination and the spread of epidemics in the region.

As a result of the landslide, there is a risk of further mudslides, which will worsen the already tense situation. An eleven-person team from Save the Children reached the disaster area on Thursday after a ten-hour donkey trekking tour. The helpers are now looking after around 150 survivors, including 40 children who are traumatized and have lost everything. Many of these survivors are internally displaced people who sought protection from the violence of the civil war in the region.

Cholera outbreak in Sudan

The humanitarian catastrophe is further compounded by a serious cholera outbreak in the region. According to Doctors Without Borders, at least 40 people died of cholera last week. A total of 99,700 suspected cases and over 2,470 deaths have been reported since the outbreak first occurred a year ago. The country is suffering from the worst cholera epidemic in years, which is largely due to the civil war that has been going on for two years.

Access to drinking water and basic hygiene conditions is severely limited. Particularly affected is the area around Tawila, where 380,000 people have fled due to fighting and have an average of only three liters of water per day. Cholera, spread through contaminated water and food, can kill within hours if left untreated. The mortality rate in Sudan is 2.1 percent, more than two and a half times the global average.

Help and measures

In Golo, the next largest city, there are currently no relief goods on the market. That's why the helpers from their own camp brought medicine, chlorine tablets and plastic sheets to help the survivors. However, there is great uncertainty regarding the accommodation of survivors; some have found refuge in nearby villages while others are homeless. Security concerns about accommodation make it even more difficult for internally displaced people, as there is fear of attacks by the RSF paramilitary militia.

The cholera outbreak and worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan have led to an international outcry. The EU and 28 other states are calling for an immediate humanitarian pause and an end to the siege of Al-Fashir, the last city in Darfur controlled by the Sudanese army. Over the past week, 60 people have died of malnutrition there, while the conflict between the army and the RSF militia has sparked the world's worst hunger and refugee crisis.

The situation in Sudan remains dramatic and requires immediate action to rescue the affected population and contain cholera, which is affecting not only the Darfur region but increasingly neighboring countries such as Chad and South Sudan.