The Egyptian army issues a statement after reports of strikes against Sudanese gold miners

The Egyptian army announced, on Monday evening, that it had implemented the third phase of its campaign against “illegal” exploration for gold ore in the country’s eastern desert, amid reports of Sudanese prospectors being subjected to air strikes. A statement by the Egyptian army stated that “Law enforcement elements from the armed forces and civil police (continue) implementing the third phase of the massive campaign to confront illegal exploration for gold ore in the Eastern Desert, after dropping warning leaflets on criminal elements to impose full sovereignty within the borders of the Egyptian state and protect its national capabilities and wealth.”

The statement stressed "the depth of the ties that bring together the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples at the political and popular levels," noting that "the peaceful coexistence enjoyed by millions of Sudanese on Egyptian territory (is) the best witness to that." The Egyptian army called on "the people of the Nile Valley (to) obtain information from official sources, and not to be led by malicious rumors and foreign agendas that aim to destabilize the fraternal relations between the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples."

The Egyptian army's statement came in conjunction with the spread of pictures and videos on social media during the last hours of what were said to be victims of miners as a result of air strikes in the border areas between Egypt and Sudan. Earlier Monday, the Transitional Sovereignty Council in Sudan announced the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate what it described as a “painful accident” to which a number of Sudanese miners were exposed in the border region between Sudan and Egypt.

The Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council affirmed in a statement that “protecting the lives of Sudanese citizens and preserving their safety and dignity is an inherent responsibility of the state,” and stressed “the necessity of dealing with the incident seriously in a way that ensures revealing the facts and protecting and respecting borders.” The statement added, "The leadership of the two countries is in contact immediately after the accident occurs, to ensure the protection of lives, the preservation of the relationship between the two brotherly peoples, knowledge of the circumstances of the accident, and the ownership of the facts to public opinion."