Air strikes kill at least 72 gold miners on Sudan-Egypt border

At least 72 workers engaged in small-scale gold mining were killed in air strikes on a disputed border area between Sudan and Egypt, according to Emergency Lawyers, a Sudan-based human rights and legal advocacy group, which reported the attack on Sunday. The strikes hit on Saturday in rugged, mountainous terrain south of the remote Halayeb triangle, east of the River Nile. It is the second attack of this kind this year.

What is known about the attack

Emergency Lawyers says the area lies inside Sudan. The Halayeb triangle is claimed by both Egypt and Sudan and is known for mining and the gold trade, as well as illicit goods and human trafficking. The group accuses the Egyptian air force and says the repeated attacks reflect a desire by Egyptian authorities to expand and assert control over Sudan's natural resources. Egypt has not commented on the strikes, but it has previously acknowledged carrying out a "large-scale operation" against illegal gold mining within its borders. Independent verification is difficult because of the remote location.

The Sudan Doctors Network warned on Facebook that the toll may rise, citing the severity of some injuries and difficulty in reaching medical care and essential services in the area. A survivor told the AFP news agency that thousands of people were working at the site when it was hit. People scattered in different directions after the strike, he said, so nobody knows exactly how many died.

Background

Sudan's civil war, now in its fourth year, pits the military government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It has killed more than 200,000 people and caused a severe humanitarian crisis. Egypt backs army chief al-Burhan but sees the war on its border as a security threat, and concern is growing there over large-scale displacement from Sudan.

The RSF has funded its operations by smuggling thousands of tons of gold out of Sudan's Darfur and Kordofan regions. According to the UK-based think tank Chatham House, as much as 60% of unofficial gold exports end up in Egypt. In June, air strikes on mining sites in the same border area were followed by a large-scale Egyptian security operation, in which hundreds of people, including foreigners, were arrested on suspicion of illegal gold mining and smuggling.