Illegal gold prospecting...an investigation into the killing of 72 Sudanese in a border raid

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In a development on the ground that reflects the complexities of the scene on the Sudanese-Egyptian border, at least 72 Sudanese miners were killed in an air strike on the border.

The "Emergency Lawyers" human rights group said that an air strike last Saturday killed at least 72 mining workers in northern Sudan.

The Sudanese government said on Monday that the incident took place in a border area between Sudan and Egypt, and that it had opened an investigation into its circumstances.

The Transitional Sovereignty Council stated that “protecting the lives of Sudanese citizens and preserving their safety and dignity is an inherent responsibility of the state,” stressing the need to deal with the incident seriously in a way that ensures revealing the facts and protecting and respecting borders.

Two Egyptian security officials told Agence France-Presse that the raid was aimed at ending the chaos on the border and putting an end to attempts by Egyptian and Sudanese groups to control mining areas.

Northern Sudan has witnessed an influx of traditional mining workers and the spread of primitive gold extraction operations, as the ongoing war in the country has disrupted other livelihoods. Gold has become a major source of revenue for both sides of the conflict in Sudan, and experts and workers in this sector say that a large portion of this gold is smuggled.

A few days ago, the Egyptian military spokesman announced the start of the second phase of a large-scale campaign to combat illegal gold mining in the Eastern Desert.

The spokesman indicated that the armed forces, in coordination with the police and all state agencies, intensified combing and raiding operations in the border areas to monitor these activities and protect the wealth of the Egyptian state, stressing the continuation of the efforts that began in the first phase.