Airstrike kills 13 miners near Sudan-Egypt border

Dozens of civilians prospecting for gold in a border region of Sudan were killed in airstrikes on Saturday, a regional rights group said. Emergency Lawyers, based in Khartoum, stated that jets targeted artisanal miners at a popular gold mining site in Sudan's River Nile state. The group noted that the provisional death toll could rise.

Eyewitnesses reported that the attack began around 06:00 local time, with aircraft firing more than five missiles directly at the miners' camps, destroying them and excavation pits with people still inside. The Sudan Tribune reported claims in June that Egyptian forces had used drones and artillery to target artisanal mining sites in the same region, killing several.

Gold is central to the conflict in Sudan, with artisanal mining surging due to the ongoing civil war. These gold-rich areas lie along porous borders historically used for smuggling. Egypt's border force announced in June a security campaign along the border to foil illegal migration, drug smuggling, and illegal mining. At the same time, Sudan's de facto leader announced an investigation into alleged strikes that reportedly killed dozens.