Sudan gold miners killed in airstrike near Egypt border

An airstrike in the Jabal al-Uqaydat gold mining region near the Sudan-Egypt border has reportedly killed at least 72 miners, according to the Sudanese human rights organization Emergency Lawyers. Survivors described an aircraft circling the area multiple times before firing a missile into the mining site.

While the Egyptian military has not explicitly claimed responsibility for the deaths, it announced a campaign against illegal gold mining near the border to protect state resources and sovereignty. The Egyptian military stated the operation targeted illegal miners “within its territory.”

The incident has heightened tensions between Sudan and Egypt in a region already marked by territorial disputes and smuggling. Sudan’s de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has ordered the creation of a commission involving the Public Prosecutor, judicial authorities, and security officials to investigate the circumstances of the attack.

The casualties include many workers who turned to informal mining for survival following the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. Hundreds of miners, including children, remain unaccounted for in the rugged mountainous terrain.