The disaster struck Sunday after days of heavy rain, devastating the village of Tarasin in the Marra mountains, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army said in a statement.

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

The “massive and devastating” landslide flattened the village and “completely destroyed” part of a region known for citrus production.

The group appealed to the United Nations and other aid organisations for help recovering the dead.

Sudan’s bloody civil war – now in its third year – has plunged Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with famine declared in parts of Darfur.

Fighting has escalated in Darfur, especially in El-Fasher, since the army took control of the capital Khartoum in March.