Reports: Airstrike kills over 100 Sudanese goldminers near Egypt border, sparking anger

What happened

The Guardian Sudan reports that an airstrike last week killed more than 100 Sudanese goldminers at an artisanal mining site near the Egypt-Sudan border. Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers has put the death toll at at least 114. The strike occurred amid Sudan’s ongoing civil war which has devastated the economy and displaced many.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. Miners and witnesses immediately attributed the attack to Egypt. Sudanese military sources acknowledged operations targeting illegal goldmining in the eastern desert, but did not explicitly confirm responsibility for this specific airstrike. Previous strikes and raids by Egyptian forces on mining sites in the area have been reported, including a June incident that reportedly killed at least 15 miners, according to Sudanese media.

Local gold trader Ammar, who responded to calls for help after the strike, described chaotic rescue efforts by miners themselves, who carried the wounded to safety and dug graves for the dead. Many miners come from conflict-affected areas like Darfur and Kordofan and rely on artisanal mining as their primary source of income amid widespread unemployment and economic collapse.

Known from the source

• An airstrike on 10 October targeted an artisanal goldmine near the Egypt-Sudan border.
• Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights group, estimates at least 114 miners were killed.
• Sudanese military confirmed operations targeting illegal goldmining in the eastern desert but did not confirm the airstrike specifically.
• Egypt has previously conducted raids and airstrikes on the same site, including one in June reportedly killing at least 15 miners.
• The miners largely come from war-affected regions such as Darfur and Kordofan and rely on mining for livelihood due to economic collapse.

What remains unclear

Egypt’s stated aim has been to curb illegal mining and border trade, with leaflets reportedly distributed warning miners to surrender and leave. However, the attack has caused anger in Sudan, seen as aggression against workers on whom much regional gold production depends. Human rights campaigners also emphasize the vulnerability and exploitation of these miners, who face harsh conditions and health hazards in their work.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Independent verification of the death toll of 114 miners from the airstrike. Confirmation of actor responsible for the airstrike beyond miner and media attribution. Verification of the death toll in the previous June strike reported by Sudanese media.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: The Guardian Sudan. Open the source.