Brussels 05.09.2025 Aid workers on donkeys have delivered the first humanitarian supplies to survivors of a landslide that reportedly killed hundreds of people in a remote mountain village in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

Today, Save the Children’s emergency team reached Tarsin village in Darfur—cut off by a deadly landslide—after almost ten-hour journey on donkeys through treacherous terrain.
(Press Release )#Sudan #Darfur #Children #war#KeepEyesOnSudan pic.twitter.com/tF1OxQJpnQ

— Hassan Berkia (@HassanAhmedBerk) September 4, 2025

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Heavy rains and flash floods that hit Tarasin village triggering the disaster on Sunday have continued, meaning donkeys are the only way to reach the affected families.

“Families in Tarsin have lost everything. It took our team more than a full day on a rocky, muddy, and hilly route to reach this devastated community,” said Francesco Lanino, from aid agency Save the Children.

It remains unclear how many people died.

Aid workers on donkeys have delivered the first humanitarian supplies to survivors of a landslide that reportedly killed hundreds of people in a remote mountain village in Sudan's western Darfur region.https://t.co/D4NwQQ7sIT pic.twitter.com/vm96TmUaSU

— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 5, 2025

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This story is an example of the importance of donkeys to Africans, and one more reminder of need to respect and observe the the donkey trade ban to slash China’s supply of traditional medicine ejiao.
Chinese demand for the hides accounts for the slaughter of more than 5 million animals each year, many from Africa. Animal welfare groups have welcomed the African Union’s decision to end the slaughter of donkeys for their skins.

A devastating #donkeyskintrade is ravaging #Kenya. The black market, driven by greed & desperation, slaughters 400 donkeys daily, smuggling their skins to China for use in traditional 'medicine' – called #Ejiao.

Help us fight this illegal trade: https://t.co/YCowV0iAnj pic.twitter.com/NrVcREGEzJ

— Network For Animals 🐾 (@Network4Animals) September 2, 2025

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Africa has banned the slaughter of donkeys for their skins, dealing a significant blow to China’s lucrative market for a traditional medicine made from a gelatin extracted from the hides.
Insatiable demand for ejiao – which is said to improve vigour, enrich the blood and have anti-ageing properties – has obliterated China’s own donkey population, leading to huge export industries in Africa and South America.

But the African Union (AU) heads of state on ratified a motion proposing a 15-year ban on the donkey skin trade. Animal welfare organisations welcomed the decision as an “historic moment”.

the African Union (AU) imposed a ban on the slaughter of donkeys for their skins in February 2024, making it illegal across the continent. This decision aimed to protect Africa’s donkeys and the communities that rely on them, addressing the “brutal and unsustainable” donkey skin trade. The ban includes a 15-year moratorium on commercial slaughter for skin, the development of a comprehensive African Donkey Strategy, and efforts to improve animal welfare standards and responsible ownership