Sudan Gold Mine Airstrike Kills 72, Rights Group Accuses Egypt

At least 72 artisanal miners were killed in an airstrike on a gold mining site in northern Sudan on Saturday, October 10, according to Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers, which accused the Egyptian air force of carrying out the attack. The toll remains preliminary, and the account has not been independently verified. Egypt has issued no official comment on the allegations.

The attack targeted Jabal al-Uqaydat, a remote, mountainous gold mining area near the disputed Sudan-Egypt border. It was reportedly the second such incident at the site this year, following airstrikes in June that killed 23 workers.

Survivors described scenes of panic as miners fled the site fearing further strikes. Abdelaziz Youssef, a miner who escaped, told AFP that an aircraft appeared overhead at around 8 am local time on Saturday and struck five times, killing several people.

“We ran up the mountain terrified of another strike,” Youssef said.

Another survivor, Sharaf Ali, said thousands of people had been working at the remote site when the attack occurred. Miners scattered in different directions, making it difficult to establish the exact number of casualties, he said. Survivors reported seeing bodies on the ground, while others were feared trapped under rubble in an area far from major towns and medical facilities.

Emergency Lawyers said the attack killed 72 civilian miners, based on preliminary information, adding that efforts to document and verify the toll were continuing. The group alleged that repeated attacks on mineral-rich border areas reflected an attempt by Egyptian authorities to expand control over Sudanese natural resources.

The border region includes the disputed Halayeb Triangle, which both Sudan and Egypt claim. Cairo has said its security operations against illegal mining took place within Egyptian territory.

In June, the Egyptian military announced a large-scale operation against illegal gold mining and arms smuggling, saying 223 people, including 136 foreign nationals, had been detained.

Gold has become an important source of income for armed groups during Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis, pushing more people towards dangerous informal mining as they seek livelihoods.