AU Commission calls for ceasefire in Sudan after landslide kills over 1,000

The African Union Commission has urged Sudan’s warring factions to halt fighting and allow humanitarian access, after a massive landslide  killed more than 1,000 people in North Darfur State on August 31.

In a statement on Tuesday, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf expressed solidarity with the victims and called for urgent relief efforts.

“In these painful circumstances, the Chairperson of the Commission reaffirms the unwavering solidarity of the AU with the affected populations and calls on all Sudanese stakeholders to silence the guns and unite in facilitating the swift and effective delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance”, stated Youssouf.

A rebel group controlling the area said the landslide flattened the entire village of Tarasin in the Marra mountains, leaving only one survivor. The disaster followed days of heavy rain.

"Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than one thousand individuals, with only one survivor," said the group.

The group appealed to the United Nations and aid agencies for help in recovering bodies still buried under rubble.

Youssouf offered condolences to the bereaved families and emphasised the need for unity in addressing the crisis.

The disaster comes as Sudan remains engulfed in a brutal civil war between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a conflict that has already fueled one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.