At least 114 Sudanese goldminers were killed in an airstrike on an artisanal mining site near Sudan’s border with Egypt on October 10, according to the Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers. The strike targeted a location in the North Valley, a remote area where many young Sudanese miners work to support themselves amid the country’s ongoing economic crisis and conflict.

The miners, who rely on manual labor to extract gold, had been operating in this border region as a means of survival, often coming from conflict-affected areas such as Darfur and Kordofan. The area has seen repeated confrontations in recent months, including a similar strike reportedly carried out by Egyptian forces in June that killed at least 15 miners, according to Sudanese media.

Eyewitnesses and local residents accused Egypt of carrying out the October attack. Though Egypt’s military confirmed conducting operations aimed at stopping what it described as “illegal goldmining in the eastern desert,” it did not explicitly acknowledge responsibility for the airstrike. Egyptian authorities stated that leaflets had been distributed prior to the operation, warning miners to evacuate. Social media footage purportedly shows leaflets indicating that civilians should surrender their equipment for their own safety.

Mohamed Salah, director of Emergency Lawyers, reported that a confrontation had occurred prior to the strike between miners and Egyptian security forces attempting to clear the area. He noted that while efforts to curb the informal cross-border mining have long been ongoing, the use of military aircraft marked an escalation that few anticipated. Following the attack, many miners reportedly fled the area but expressed their intention to return, given the lack of alternative income sources.

Gold mining remains a crucial, if informal, economic activity in Sudan, especially amid three years of civil conflict between the Sudanese military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Despite the ongoing violence, gold extraction continues in both sides’ controlled territories. Artisanal mining operations expose workers to various health hazards, including exposure to mercury and cyanide used in processing.

Human rights advocates have condemned the airstrike as a grave violation affecting a vulnerable population. Hala al-Karib, leader of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa network, highlighted the limited livelihood options available to the miners, particularly in light of the country’s collapsing education system and soaring unemployment. She characterized the attack as indiscriminate violence against impoverished workers who are already subject to exploitation by larger trade networks.

Egypt benefits significantly from Sudan’s informal gold mining sector, reportedly receiving as much as 60% of the gold produced and smuggled from northern Sudan along its border. The strike underscores the complex dynamics between security concerns, economic survival, and regional tensions in an area where political instability and poverty remain deeply entrenched.