Turning his eyes to Sudan, Pope Leo XIV prayed for the victims of ongoing violence and a tragic flood during his General Audience at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Sudan appealed for international aid on Tuesday after a landslide wiped out an entire village in western region of Darfur, killing an estimated 1,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the African country’s recent history.

The village of Tarasin was “completely leveled to the ground,” the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said as it appealed to the U.N. and international aid groups for help to recover the bodies.

The tragedy happened Sunday in the village, located in Central Darfur’s Marrah Mountains, after days of heavy rainfall.

Pope Leo spoke about the “dramatic news” taking place in the African country, which has also affected by a civil war which started in 2023, when the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo began fighting each other.

The two men were former allies who in 2019 jointly ousted President Omar al-Bashir from office. With Bashir out of the way, a Transitional Government under Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was installed, reviving hope the country could transition to democratic rule.

However, the two military rulers again ganged up against Hamdok and forced the Transitional Government out of power, but instead engaged each other in a deadly struggle over power and resources.

The fighting has already triggered thousands of deaths, forced more than 11.5 million people from their homes, and caused widespread hunger.

“In El Fasher, many civilians have been trapped in the city, victims of famine and violence. In Tarasin, a devastating mudslide has claimed many lives, leaving pain and desperation in its wake,” Leo said.

“And, as if that were not enough, the spread of cholera is threatening hundreds of thousands of already stricken people. I am closer than ever to the Sudanese population, in particular families, children and the displaced. I pray for all the victims,” the pope added.

“I make a heartfelt appeal to leaders and to the international community to guarantee humanitarian corridors and implement a coordinated response to stop this humanitarian catastrophe. It is time to initiate a serious, sincere and inclusive dialogue between the parties to end the conflict and restore hope, dignity and peace to the people of Sudan,” Leo said.

“Even in the midst of such tragedies may we never lose hope in God’s love for us,” he added.

The Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said only one person in the village survived the landslide.

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 Province, killing at least 30 people, according to the United Nations.

AP’s Samy Magdy reported from Cairo.