President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been re-elected in a landslide, as the government denies that hundreds were killed.
Tanzania’s incumbent president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has been re-elected with 98 percent of the vote in an election denounced by the opposition as a sham.
The government has denied that hundreds of people have been killed in a police crackdown.
So, what’s behind this crisis, and what’s next?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Tito Magoti – independent human rights lawyer and activist
Nicodemus Minde – researcher with the East Africa Peace and Security Governance Program at the Institute for Security Studies in Nairobi
Fergus Kell – research fellow with the Africa Programme at London’s Chatham House
Much of the affected region has become mostly inaccessible to the UN and aid groups, with Doctors Without Borders describing the area as a ‘black hole’ in Sudan’s humanitarian response.
Published On 3 Sep 20253 Sep 2025
Sudan has appealed for international aid after a landslide destroyed an entire village in the western Darfur region, killing more than 1,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent history in the country beset by a brutal civil war.
The village of Tarasin was “completely levelled to the ground,” the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), the rebel group that controls the area, said as it appealed to the United Nations and international aid groups for help to recover the bodies on Tuesday.
The tragedy happened on Sunday in the village, located in Central Darfur’s Marrah Mountains, after days of heavy rainfall.
“Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than 1,000 people,” the rebel group said in a statement. “Only one person survived,” it added.
The ruling Sovereign Council in Khartoum said it mourned “the death of hundreds of innocent residents” in the Marrah Mountains landslide. In a statement, it said “all possible capabilities” have been mobilised to support the area.
Luca Renda, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said he was “deeply saddened” by the reported landslide, adding that the UN and its partners were mobilising to support affected communities at the scene.
A local emergency network, which has been providing support to communities across Sudan during the war, said its teams recovered the bodies of at least nine people on Tuesday. Search teams were facing challenges to reach the area because of bad weather and a lack of resources, it added.
Mohamed Abdel-Rahman al-Nair, a SLM/A spokesman, told The Associated Press news agency that the village where the landslide took place is remote and accessible only by foot or donkeys.
Tarasin is located in the central Marrah Mountains, a volcanic area with a height of more than 3,000 metres (9,840 feet) at its summit. A World Heritage Site, the mountain chain is known for its lower temperatures and higher rainfall than surrounding areas, according to UNICEF. It is located more than 900 kilometres (560 miles) west of the capital, Khartoum.
Sunday’s landslide was one of the deadliest natural disasters in Sudan’s recent history. Hundreds of people die every year in seasonal rains that run from July to October. Last year’s heavy rainfall caused the collapse of a dam in the eastern Red Sea State, killing at least 30 people, according to the UN.
News of the disaster came as Sudan’s continuing war – now in its third year – plunges the country further into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with famine already declared in parts of Darfur.
People fleeing clashes between the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Darfur state had sought shelter in the Marra Mountains, and food and medication were in short supply, the Reuters news agency reported.
Much of the region has become mostly inaccessible for the UN and aid groups, with Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym MSF) describing the area as a “black hole” in Sudan’s humanitarian response.
The International Organization for Migration on Tuesday called for safe access and the scaling-up of support to the area.
Factions of the SLM/A have pledged to fight alongside the SAF against the RSF.
Fighting has escalated in Darfur, especially in el-Fasher, since the army took control of Khartoum from the RSF in March.
El-Fasher has been under RSF siege for more than a year, as the paramilitary force is seeking to capture the strategic city, the last major population centre held by the army in the Darfur region.
The paramilitaries, who lost much of central Sudan, including Khartoum, earlier this year, are attempting to consolidate power in the west and establish a rival government.
REFORM UK would win a 400 seat landslide if an election were held today, according to a new poll.
Nigel Farage is 15 points ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Government, as reported by The i Paper.
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Reform UK would win a landslide general election if one were held today, a poll has suggestedCredit: Getty
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Figures show 60 per cent are unhappy with Sir Keir Starmer’s performanceCredit: Getty
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Only 20 per cent of voters now say they would vote for Labour – whereas 35 per cent would cast their ballot for Reform.
The poll results mean Farage would win a general election with 400 seats if one was held today.
These figures have been dubbed as “catastrophic” for the PM’s party, as they continue to face backlash over the migrant crisis.
This issue was also reflected in the poll, with 41 per cent of applicants confessing they believe Farage could solve the problem – as opposed to 14 per cent who trust Starmer.
Meanwhile the Tories also trailed behind in the poll, with Kemi Badenoch only gaining 17 per cent of votes.
And, her party ranked last when it came to faith in battling the small boat crisis – with just 8 per cent admitting they believe she could put an end to it.
The party boss said the public mood over Channel crossings was “a mix between total despair and rising anger”, warning of a “genuine threat to public order” unless Britain acts fast.
Moment cop floors protester holding beer as clash breaks out in nearby Cheshunt after ruling that migrants can STAY in Epping hotel
Reform’s plan centres on a new Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill, which would make it the Home Secretary’s legal duty to remove anyone who arrives unlawfully, and strip courts and judges of the power to block flights.
Britain would quit the European Convention on Human Rights, scrap the Human Rights Act and suspend the Refugee Convention for five years.
Reform would also make re-entry after deportation a crime carrying up to five years in jail, enforce a lifetime ban on returning, and make tearing up ID papers punishable by the same penalty.
The scheme would also see prefab detention camps built on surplus RAF and MoD land, holding up to 24,000 people within 18 months.
Inmates would be housed in two-man blocks with food halls and medical suites – and would not be allowed out.
Five deportation flights would take off every day, with RAF planes on standby if charter jets were blocked.
The poll this week echos those conducted by YouGov, in which Reform was still 8 points ahead of Labour.
And, 37 per cent of voters say they are satisfied with how Farage is leading the party.
However, 60 per cent are unhappy with Sir Keir Starmer’s performance.
Robert Struthers, head of polling at BMG, said: “Nigel Farage’s net rating of +5 may not appear remarkable on its own, but it contrasts sharply with Keir Starmer’s figures which have dropped to a new low at -41. He’s now as unpopular as Sunak was before the election last year.
“The next election may still be some way off, but there’s no doubt these numbers are catastrophic for Labour. Unless things change, pressure for a shift in strategy and even Prime Minister will only intensify.”
Jack Curry, pollster at BMG added: “There is a striking consensus among the British public when it comes to the issue of small boats. The public sees no real difference between the current Labour Government and the previous Conservative government. Both are viewed as equally ineffective.
“That frustration is clearly fuelling support for Reform. When it comes to what people actually want done, the mood music is for a tougher approach. There’s strong support for protectionist measures like more border enforcement, stricter penalties and offshore processing. That’s especially true among Reform and Conservative voters.”
Sir Keir Starmer may well take a sip on a cold drink at the end of his summer holiday today after winning the Court of Appeal hearing.
But any delight from the Prime Minister’s will be extremely short-lived as he works through the practical ramifications of the controversial asylum hotel staying open.
Sir Keir and his Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have got through this legal battle but the knock-on effects are now huge.
The crux of the problems for the government are that they wanted to keep the Bell Hotel in Epping OPEN when so much noise has been created about CLOSING them.
Political opponents such as senior Tory Robert Jenrick hit out at Ms Cooper saying taxpayer money was used for this appeal.
He says this Labour government are on the side of illegal migrants who have broken into the country. Ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe simply says Ministers must deport the illegal migrants.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was also quickly out to react against the ruling saying it pits the rights of illegal migrants against the people who are seeing their communities ruined.
She also urges Tory councils up and down the country to “keep going” if they seek similar injunctions to close asylum hotels.
She pointedly adds in her response to the ruling: “The public can see exactly who is fighting to keep these hotels open. It’s Labour.”
The legal action will appear bizarrely to many to be in sheer contrast to the long-term plan to actually close these hotels, which are costing around £5 million per day.
Ms Cooper as part of the government appeal even used the European Convention of Human Rights to say she has an obligation not to kick migrants on the streets.
It’s all so messy when we’ve had a string of Labour MPs followed by party grandees including Lord Blunkett and Jack Straw questioning why we abide by Strasbourg rules.
The ruling, by three Court of Appeal judges, will only raise tensions with local communities who want to see hotels that are blighting communities closed.
Despite the pledge to close them, the public have yet to see alternative accommodation that will be provided to house thousands of migrants.
One person who will immediately take advantage of the ruling is Reform UK Nigel Farage. Look at the difference between his positioning and that of the PM.
On Tuesday this week, Mr Farage spelled out his plans to detain and deport thousands of migrants sending them on their way of deportation flight after deportation flight.
He will simply point at the PM and tell his growing legion of supporters that the PM wants the opposite of them.
The government wants to close these hotels step by step in a measured, practical way.
For the public, time and patience with the PM to deal with illegal immigration and the Channel small boats problem is running out. And running out quick.
Perhaps the PM will want to pour another drink before he heads back to Britain.
It also caused a ripple effect across the UK as more councils launched their own bids to boot migrants out of hotels in their towns.
But the Court of Appeal on Friday overturned the injunction following an appeal by the Home Office and hotel owners Somani – meaning the migrants can stay where they are for now.
It also gave permission for the Home Office to appeal against Mr Justice Eyre’s ruling not to let it intervene in the case as their involvement was “not necessary”.
It came after Home Secretary Yvette Cooper made a last-ditch bid to join the battle.
These include at least four Labour-run authorities, such as Wirral, Stevenage, Tamworth and Rushmoor councils.
A full hearing is scheduled for October to conclude whether the council’s claim that the use of the Bell Hotel to house asylum seekers breached planning rules.
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The poll revealed 40 per cent of Brits thought Farage’s mass deportation plans were possibleCredit: Getty
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Crowds gathered at the Bell Hotel again on FridayCredit: Alamy
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Protesters pushed past a barrier outside The Delta Marriott Hotel in Chestnut after the Court of Appeal rulingCredit: LNP
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Demonstrations outside The Roundhouse in Bournemouth, DorsetCredit: BNPS
A passenger train derailed in southern Germany, causing a crash that killed three people and injured at least 50 others. Investigators say a landslide caused the accident. The train’s driver died and 25 passengers were taken to hospital in a serious condition.
Above average rainfall recorded in last five days in Sancheong county, where most deaths took place.
The nationwide death toll from heavy rainfall in South Korea has risen to 14, authorities said, as fears grow of more deaths, with 12 more people missing since the disaster began.
Two people died and four went missing in the resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday after a landslide engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles, the AFP news agency reported, citing government officials.
A woman in her 70s was killed when her house collapsed in the landslide, while the body of a man in his 40s was found near a bridge after he drowned, South Korea’s official news agency Yonhap reported.
Cars damaged by floods seen on a road along a river in Gapyeong province, South Korea [Yonhap/AFP]
Close to 170mm (6.7 inches) of rainfall was recorded in the area in Gyeonggi province, about 70km (40 miles) east of Seoul, early on Sunday.
But most of the deaths occurred in the southern county of Sancheong, which has seen nearly 800mm (31.5 inches) of rain since Wednesday.
Two bodies were found there early on Sunday during search and rescue operations, raising the number of deaths in the rural county of 33,000 to eight, with six still missing.
The adjacent county of Hapcheon received 699mm (27.5 inches) of rain, while the nearby county of Hadong got 621.5mm (24.5 inches).
Two of the 12 people reported missing were from the southwestern city of Gwangju, Yonhap said.
Yonhap also quoted authorities as saying they have registered 1,920 cases of flooded roads, soil loss and destroyed public facilities, and 2,234 other cases of damage to private property, such as buildings and farmland.
A total of 12,921 people have taken shelter across 14 major cities and provinces, Yonhap said.
South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July and is usually well-prepared. But this week, the country’s southern regions were hit by especially intense downpours, with some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record, official weather data showed.
Scientists say climate change has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense around the world. In 2022, South Korea endured record-breaking rains and flooding, which killed at least 11 people.
