A Sudanese rights group says an air raid on a gold mine near the disputed Sudan–Egypt border killed at least 72 workers on Saturday, and blames Egyptian jets. The claim cannot be independently verified, and Egypt has issued no official comment.
An air raid on a gold mine in the mountainous border region of Jabal al-Uqaydat killed at least 72 workers, according to the Khartoum-based rights group Emergency Lawyers, Al Jazeera reported on October 11, citing AFP and Reuters.
What Is Claimed
“Egyptian fighter jets targeted civilian miners in the northern Wadi area inside Sudanese territory, resulting, according to preliminary information, in the killing of 72 civilians,” the group wrote on X.
Survivors described scenes of chaos, and miners described an air strike on the area. Images shared on social media and by rights groups, which also could not be verified, showed dozens of bodies in the rubble and others wrapped in shrouds.
What Is Not Confirmed
- The attack, reportedly on Saturday, cannot be independently verified
- Egypt has issued no official comment
- The allegation that Egypt carried it out comes from Emergency Lawyers
An Earlier Strike
It was this year’s second attack on the area. Similar strikes, also reportedly carried out by Egypt, killed 23 workers at a gold mining site in June. The Egyptian military said then that it had carried out a “large-scale operation” against illegal gold mining within Egyptian territory, detaining 223 people, including 136 foreign nationals.
Emergency Lawyers says the latest attack was inside Sudanese territory and argues that repeated strikes reflect “a desire by Egyptian authorities to expand and assert control over Sudan’s natural resources”.
A Disputed Border
Both Sudan and Egypt claim the resource-rich Halaib Triangle, which lies in the rugged region. The border runs 1,200 km (745 miles) from the Red Sea to Libya, and has long been a route for gold, illicit trade and human trafficking.
Egypt backs Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, but considers the war at its border a significant security threat.
The War Behind It
Since April 2023, the war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed more than 200,000 people. It has pushed many into dangerous gold mining, which fuels both sides’ war efforts.
Image: A herder with cattle among mountains near Halaib, in the Egypt–Sudan border region, January 2020 (file photo). Photo: Ahmedsalahemam / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
