According to Reuters, the human rights monitoring organization Emergency Lawyers reported on October 11 local time that at least 72 artisanal miners were killed in airstrikes in northern Sudan. This is the second such incident in several months.
"Urgent lawyer organization" accuses this air strike of being carried out by the Egyptian Air Force, and Reuters has yet to verify this claim. The Egyptian military has not commented on the event, and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also yet to respond to requests for comment.
Social media and local human rights organizations have released relevant images. The images show dozens of bodies lying in the debris, with some bodies wrapped in burial cloths. Miners also recounted what happened to them during an air raid in that area.
Due to ongoing conflicts in the country, other means of making a living in northern Sudan have been destroyed. Gold has become an important source of cash for both warring parties. A large number of artisanal miners have flocked to this area, and many temporary gold mines have emerged locally. Industry experts and analysts say that a significant portion of the gold mined here is smuggled into Egypt.
In the conflicts between Sudan's armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, incidents resulting in heavy casualties are becoming more frequent. UAV operations have become a major form of combat.
According to the United Nations, on October 9th, a camp for displaced people in Blue Nile State, Sudan, was attacked by drones, resulting in the death of approximately 31 people. The camp is located in an area controlled by government forces, and Blue Nile State is one of the frontlines of this war.
