Save the Children aid workers travelling on donkeys deliver first emergency assistance to landslide victims
Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - An international humanitarian organisation, Save the Children, aid workers travelling on a herd of donkeys have delivered the first emergency medical supplies, food, water and tarpaulins to a remote village in western Sudan that was cut off by a massive landslide this week, killing hundreds of people.
A press release by the charity said this was carried out in coordination with the Humanitarian Affairs Office in Darfur and UN OCHA.
The release said Save the Children sent an emergency team of 11 staff on donkeys to the mountain village of Tarsain from Golo, a journey that took over six hours due to a lack of roads and the rocky, muddy terrain.
It said the team, including medical staff, child protection experts and a mental health team, was delivering medical supplies, chlorine tablets, gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) to support up to 1,000 people impacted by the disaster.
Once there, the group will assess the scale of the emergency after torrential rain caused a massive landslide on Sunday and the requirements for additional supplies and emergency materials. Save the Children and its partners will launch a fuller emergency response once the needs are established.
It said a further response team was also on its way to Tarsain in the Marrah Mountains in the western region of Darfur, coordinated by UNOCHA, and due to arrive on Friday in the village that has been levelled by the landslide.
Francesco Lanino, Deputy Country Director of Programmes and Operations for Save the Children in Sudan, who is coordinating the operation, has described Tarsain as one of the most isolated villages in one of the remotest parts of Sudan. He added that heavy rains and flash floods had made the response extremely challenging.
“It took our team more than a full day on a rocky, muddy, and hilly route to reach this devastated community. I am deeply proud of the perseverance and determination shown by our colleagues in delivering lifesaving assistance under such difficult conditions.”
“Families in Tarsain have lost everything. Some are still desperately searching for survivors. We are committed to standing by them and to the whole Sudan in this moment of immense tragedy, providing urgent assistance now and supporting them to rebuild their lives as quickly as possible," he was quoted by the release published on the OCHA website on Friday as saying.
The charity said Sudan remains one of the world’s gravest humanitarian emergencies, with more than 30 million people in need of assistance – more than half the population – and parts of the country pushed into famine conditions due to ongoing conflict and repeated climate shocks.
It explained that heavy rains and floods had affected at least 21 areas across Sudan in recent weeks, with fears of disease outbreaks, and experts predicting an unusually wet season continuing into September.
It appealed that the destruction and damage of homes had resulted in an urgent need for shelter and hygiene supplies, including toilets.
The flooding is also expected to result in a spike in cholera cases as safe drinking water sources become contaminated with flood waters.
-0-PANA MO/RA 5Sept2025
