Dozens of Sudanese Artisanal Miners Killed in Airstrike, Rights Monitor Reports

A recent airstrike in a border region between Sudan and Egypt has reportedly killed dozens of artisanal miners. Rights monitors, including the Emergency Lawyers group, reported at least 72 fatalities in the incident that occurred on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in the Jabal al-Uqaydat area, a mountainous gold mining zone. Other initial reports, however, cited a lower death toll of at least 13, with 28 others injured, while noting the number was likely to rise.

The Emergency Lawyers group has accused the Egyptian air force of carrying out the strike, though this claim has not been independently verified by Reuters, and the Egyptian military has not issued an official comment. The affected area, a "Border Triangle Area" also involving Libya, is known for extensive artisanal gold mining, a sector that has seen an increase in activity as Sudan's ongoing conflict disrupts other livelihoods and makes gold a vital funding source for warring factions. Miners had reportedly received warnings from Egyptian authorities to evacuate the area, which Egypt claims as its territory.

This incident marks the second deadly airstrike this year in the same informal gold mining site, following a similar attack in June that reportedly killed 23 workers. The Emergency Lawyers organization stated that such a cross-border attack would violate international law and suggested that repeated strikes in these resource-rich border areas indicate Egypt's desire to expand control over Sudan's natural resources.