Sudan’s de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has ordered an investigation into an airstrike at a gold mining site near the Egyptian border after a rights group reported that 72 people were killed.
The strike hit the mountainous Jabal al-Uqaydat mining area on Saturday, according to the report. Emergency Lawyers said Egypt was responsible, but the allegation and the reported death toll could not be independently verified. Egypt has issued no official comment on the incident.
Committee to investigate incident
The Transitional Sovereignty Council said on Monday that al-Burhan had established a fact-finding committee to investigate the circumstances of what he described as a painful incident and submit a report on its findings.
The committee includes prosecutors, judicial officials and security representatives. The council also said Sudanese and Egyptian authorities had remained in contact since the strike to establish what happened.
A witness at the mine said a plane carried out several strikes on Saturday morning, causing panic at the site. The identity of the aircraft and those responsible for the attack have not been established.
Egypt-Sudan contacts
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke by telephone with his Sudanese counterpart after the incident. Abdelatty stressed what he described as the mutual respect binding the two countries and the importance of respecting each state’s territorial integrity, territory and borders.
The strike took place in a rugged, mineral-rich border region that includes the disputed Halayeb Triangle, claimed by both Sudan and Egypt. The area has long been associated with gold smuggling, illicit trade and human trafficking.
Gold mining and Sudan’s war
Sudan’s war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has produced a severe humanitarian crisis and driven many people into gold mining. The industry is also a source of funding for both sides of the conflict.
Saturday’s attack was the second reported strike that year on Jabal al-Uqaydat. A previous strike in June at the same informal mine reportedly killed 23 workers. Those attacks were reportedly carried out by Egypt, although the Egyptian military did not claim responsibility. The military described its June action as a large-scale operation against illegal gold mining within Egyptian territory.
Amjad Farid, a Sudanese political figure, called Saturday’s attack an unjustified and unacceptable crime. He said border violations should be addressed through law enforcement, arguing that the use of airstrikes against civilians could not be the response.
The reported strike comes as Egypt, described as one of al-Burhan’s closest regional allies, views the conflict near its border as a major security concern. The investigation is expected to examine the circumstances of the attack, while responsibility for it remains disputed.
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