At least 72 civilians have been killed in air strikes targeting gold miners in Sudan’s River Nile State, according to the human rights group Emergency Lawyers.
The group says the strikes hit artisanal gold mining sites on Saturday, October 10, targeting camps used by miners prospecting for gold in the border region.
Emergency Lawyers, which is based in Khartoum, says the attacks destroyed miners’ camps and excavation pits, with people reportedly trapped inside. The group has warned that the death toll remains provisional and could rise as more information emerges.
Witnesses cited in local media reports said the attack began at around 6 a.m. local time, with aircraft firing more than five missiles at the mining sites. A survivor reportedly said several other people were injured in the strikes.
Neither the Egyptian government nor Sudan’s de facto authorities has publicly commented on the latest reported attack.
Egypt has previously faced accusations of carrying out deadly strikes against artisanal gold miners along its southern border. In June, reports emerged of Egyptian forces allegedly using drones and artillery to target mining sites in the same region, killing several people.
Days later, Egypt’s border agency announced a security operation aimed at curbing illegal migration, drug smuggling and unauthorised gold mining along the border. Sudan’s de facto leader also ordered an investigation into the earlier alleged strikes.
The tensions are linked to gold mining and cross-border smuggling. Sudan’s ongoing civil war has contributed to a rise in informal gold prospecting, particularly in remote areas where miners use basic equipment and often operate without official authorisation.
Gold-rich areas in River Nile State lie along porous borders that have long been associated with smuggling routes. Authorities have raised concerns that illegally mined Sudanese gold could be smuggled into Egypt and undermine its legitimate gold market.
The reported attacks have renewed concerns about civilian safety in the border region, as well as allegations of violations of Sudan’s territorial sovereignty and international humanitarian law. Emergency Lawyers says deliberately targeting unarmed civilians may constitute a war crime.