Sudan orders probe after killing of 72 miners near Egyptian border

The Sudanese government has on Monday ordered a fact-finding investigation into the reported killing of miners near the Egyptian border on Saturday.

Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said in a statement that an investigation committee would be set-up that would include representatives of the Public Prosecution and relevant judicial and security bodies.

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It will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and submit a report on its findings. No deadline was announced.

“Protecting the lives of Sudanese citizens and safeguarding their safety and dignity is a fundamental responsibility of the state,” Burhan said.

He stressed “the need to deal with the incident seriously, ensuring that the facts are uncovered and borders are protected and respected.”

“The leaderships of the two brotherly countries are in contact to establish the circumstances of the incident and make the facts public,” he added.

On Sunday, the independent Emergency Lawyers group said the death toll from an airstrike in the North al-Wadi area inside Sudanese territory had risen to 72 miners. It said Egyptian aircraft were suspected of carrying out the attack.

The announcement came hours after the independent Sudan Doctors Network reported that 13 miners had been killed and 28 injured in aerial bombardment near the Egyptian border.

There was no immediate comment from Cairo on the report.

Sudan’s artisanal mining sector employs more than 2 million people, often in harsh conditions, and accounts for around 80% of the country’s gold production.

The government permits artisanal mining while seeking to regulate the sector, which provides employment for large numbers of Sudanese.

Sudan relies on gold as a major source of foreign currency after losing three-quarters of its oil revenues following South Sudan’s secession in July 2011.

The country has been engulfed in war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around 13 million, according to UN and international estimates.