72 Miners Killed in Airstrike on Disputed Sudan-Egypt Border Gold Mine, Rights Group Says

KHARTOUM — At least 72 miners were killed in an airstrike on a gold mine along the disputed Sudan-Egypt border, a Sudanese rights group reported on Sunday, as survivors recounted the chaotic and terrifying escape from the mountainous site.

The Emergency Lawyers group accused the Egyptian Air Force of conducting the strike. The Associated Press (AFP) was unable to independently verify these claims, and Egyptian authorities have yet to issue an official statement or comment on the incident.

This Saturday’s strike marks the second violent incident at the Jabal Al-Uqaydat informal gold mining site this year. In June, airstrikes reportedly attributed to Egypt killed 23 workers at the same location.

While the Egyptian military did not explicitly claim Saturday’s strikes, it had previously acknowledged conducting a “large-scale operation” in June targeting illegal gold mining activities within its claimed borders.

The border region between Sudan and Egypt remains highly contested, with both nations claiming sovereignty over the resource-rich Halayeb triangle. Despite this territorial dispute, Cairo serves as a key ally of the Sudanese army, which is currently engaged in a bitter conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

According to preliminary findings, the Saturday attack “resulted in the deaths of 72 civilian miners,” as reported by the Emergency Lawyers organization, which actively documents atrocities committed during the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Verification and documentation of the final casualty toll remain underway.

Two survivors shared their harrowing accounts of escaping the mine site with the Associated Press.

Miner Abdelaziz Youssef recounted that a military jet appeared overhead at approximately 8:00 AM (0600 GMT) on Saturday, striking the site five times and killing numerous people.

“We fled up the mountain, terrified of a follow-up strike,” Youssef told the AFP.

Another survivor, Sharaf Ali, stated that thousands of laborers were working at the remote site at the moment of the attack.

“Following the airstrike, people scattered in various directions; some fled to the Al-Ansary market while others went the opposite way, making it impossible to determine the exact death toll,” Ali explained from the gold market, located just south of the Halayeb triangle.

Both survivors reported seeing numerous bodies on the ground as they escaped, with fears that many more remain trapped beneath the rubble in an area located hours away from any major urban center.

GOLD RUSH

Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, more than 200,000 people have been killed, plunging the nation into a severe humanitarian crisis. This turmoil has driven many to seek livelihoods in the perilous gold mining sector, an industry that simultaneously funds the war efforts of both opposing factions.

The rugged, mineral-rich mountainous terrain stretches for hundreds of kilometers, encompassing the highly contested Halayeb triangle.

The Emergency Lawyers group asserted that the airstrike took place within Sudanese territory.

“The repeated attacks on these gold- and mineral-rich border zones reflect a calculated desire by Egyptian authorities to expand and assert control over Sudan’s abundant natural resources,” the organization stated.

In June, the Egyptian military asserted that its operations were conducted strictly “within Egyptian territory.”

The military announced the detention of 223 individuals, including 136 foreign nationals, and declared a broader campaign to combat illegal gold mining and arms smuggling in the border region.

Despite its support for Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Egypt views the ongoing conflict along its 1,200-kilometer border—stretching from the Red Sea to Libya—as a critical threat to its national security.

East of the Nile River, the highly porous border has long served as a bustling corridor for gold, illicit trade, and human trafficking. Egyptian authorities have attempted to curb these activities, including through mass deportations.

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