Key facts
- At least 72 artisanal gold miners killed in airstrikes on October 10.
- Survivors estimate the death toll at over 200.
- Egypt denies responsibility for the strikes.
- Egypt seized 86 tonnes of gold ore in June.
- Egypt bought 4.9 tonnes of Sudanese gold in 2025, worth $517 million.
At least 72 artisanal gold miners were killed in airstrikes on October 10 in Sudan's Red Sea state, an area that borders Egypt and is policed by Egypt to control a gold trade it now dominates. Survivors estimate the death toll at over 200. Miners and Sudanese rights groups blame Egyptian aircraft, though Egypt denies responsibility, stating its operations against illegal prospecting stayed within its borders and that it treats the disputed area as its own territory.
This marks the second deadly raid on the same area since June, when more than 50 people were reported killed and Egypt's border force seized 86 tonnes of gold ore. Sudan mined approximately 70 tonnes of gold in 2025, with less than 15 tonnes formally exported, indicating most output was smuggled or refined informally. Egypt emerged as the second-largest buyer of Sudan's official gold exports that year, purchasing 4.9 tonnes valued at $517 million, a nearly twentyfold increase from its 2024 volume.