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Deadly accidents and airstrikes hit Sudan gold mines

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2026-10-12 01:16 UTC → 2026-10-13 21:34 UTC · added ~~removed~~

A series of deadly incidents at artisanal gold mines has underscored the extreme risks facing workers in Sudan’s informal mining sector. Following a major collapse at the al-Zara mine in West Kordofan that killed at least 83 people, a second shaft collapse occurred in the Oni area of the Red Sea state, killing at least 11 miners and injuring approximately 30 others. On October 10, violence shifted from structural accidents to military action when fighter aircraft conducted at least five airstrikes on the Al-Uqaydat gold mine in the disputed Halaib Triangle on the Sudan-Egypt border. The strikes targeted mining camps near the Al-Ansari market, wounding at least 20 miners and causing hundreds of others to flee into surrounding mountains without food, water, or medical supplies. ~~Survivors described the attack on the Jabal al-Uqaydat site as a series of separate strikes by fighter jets in a remote, mountainous region.~~ Casualty reports vary significantly. The Sudan Doctors Network reported at least 13 miners killed and 28 injured. However, the rights group Emergency Lawyers reported that at least 72 civilian miners were killed, accusing the Egyptian air force of carrying out the bombardment and describing it as a “violation of Sudanese sovereignty.” An investigation by The ~~Darfur Victims Advocacy group claimed as many as 200 deaths and 120 injuries, noting~~ New York Times identified video evidence of an unexploded Egyptian-made NASR 400 bomb at the ~~toll is expected to rise due to limited medical access. Some reports suggest miners had received prior warnings from~~ site, suggesting Egyptian ~~authorities to evacuate. Egypt~~ military involvement. In response, Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has ~~not officially commented on~~ ordered a fact-finding investigation. Egyptian military spokesperson Colonel Ahmed Etman confirmed that Egyptian forces are conducting a campaign to target unauthorized gold exploration in the ~~strikes,~~ Eastern Desert to protect national resources, though he did not address the ~~military previously conducted operations~~ specific allegations of airstrikes against ~~illegal mining in the border zone. This incident follows a similar strike in June that killed 23~~ miners. The gold sector remains a critical economic driver ~~and a primary source of livelihood~~ for over two million people amid the ongoing civil war.

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