WCC News: South Sudan churches respond as landslide kills hundreds in remote Darfur mountains

Churches expressed distress at the death of hundreds in a landslide in Darfur, as agencies scrambled to deliver humanitarian aid in remote western Sudan. Sunrise over thatched huts in Kubum, a village in Sudan's conflict-torn Darfur region. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 05 September 2025 The 31 August landslide struck Tarsin Village in the Marra Mountains—a rugged stretch of volcanic ranges—in central Darfur. The United Nations put the death toll from the tragedy at 370 people, while local sources and a rebel movement said at least 1,000 people died. “We feel broken as Christians. It is very heavy on us,” said Rev. Tut Kony Nyang Kon, general secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches. Church leaders in South Sudan say they are compelled to speak about the tragedy in Sudan as part of shared humanity, faith, and responsibility, especially since the affected people were already internally displaced persons. “We are still collecting data. We want to know what we (churches) can do. The region is already a war zone, but we want to share what we have with the people in the region,” said Nyang. On 4 September, rescuers raced to find survivors from the climactic disaster, the deadliest in recent times in the northeastern African country. A rebel group controlling the region said the landslide had completely flattened the village and urged the UN and other international aid organizations to help retrieve the bodies. “The catastrophic landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall, destroyed the village, wiping it off the face of the earth and resulting in the death of all 1,000 inhabitants – except for a single survivor,” said Abdul Wahid Mohammed Ahmed Al Nour, chairman of the Sudan Liberation Movement, in a statement. The mountains—running 160 kilometers southwest of El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur—have become a point of refuge for families fleeing the violence in the city and the surrounding areas. Since March, when the Sudan Armed Forces pushed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces from the capital, Khartoum, the war has shifted to Darfur, making the region inaccessible to humanitarian groups. The two forces and their allies have fought for control of the country since April 2023. An estimated 40,000 people have died and 14 million displaced in the war in Sudan as famine and diseases such as cholera march on in Darfur. In Tarsin, the conflict was obstructing rescue operations, according to reports. The African Union has expressed solidarity with affected populations, with chairperson, Mohammed Ali Youssouf, calling on “all Sudanese stakeholders to silence the guns and unite in facilitating swift and effective delivery of emergency humanitarian aid assistance.” Still, on the ground, fear of recurrence has gripped nearby villages as the torrential rainfall persists, hampering rescue and relief efforts. In addition, there are calls for the urgent evacuation of nearby populations and the provision of emergency shelter.   Nyang said people in the surrounding areas urgently needed food, tents, and medicines, and the churches were anticipating a movement of refugees towards the South Sudan border. “We have alerted the churches [in South Sudan] to stand ready to receive any refugees who arrive and share what they have with them,” said the cleric. The country is already hosting thousands of refugees who have fled the brutal war in Sudan. WCC member churches in South Sudan See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland