Seventy-two people are believed to have been killed in an airstrike on Jabal al-Uqaydat, a gold-mining region near the border between Sudan and Egypt. According to Africanews, the attack occurred last week in an area that stretches across the frontier and is claimed by both nations. Injured miners have begun describing how the incident unfolded, detailing the moments before the aircraft struck their camp.
Ali Mohamed Hamza, a miner injured in the strike, told Africanews that an aircraft circled above them several times before hitting the group. Omar Mohie El Deen Abdullah, another survivor, noted that nearly 300 people were present when the explosion occurred. He lost several relatives in the blast but survived with a finger injury. The region has become a hub for informal miners as Sudan’s ongoing war has disrupted agriculture and driven thousands toward the gold trade. One miner’s father explained that a sack of flour now costs 700,000 Sudanese pounds, pushing families toward mining for survival.
Egypt’s military responded on Monday by announcing a campaign against illegal gold mining near the border. The goal, according to Africanews, is to impose full sovereignty within Egyptian borders and protect state resources. The military stated that warning flyers had been dropped before the operation, which targeted what it called criminal elements. It also urged the public to ignore misleading rumors that could strain relations between the two countries.
Sudan’s de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, ordered a probe into what he termed a painful incident in the border area. He formed a fact-finding committee including prosecutors and security representatives to investigate the circumstances. His foreign affairs adviser, Amjad Farid, described the attack as an unjustified crime, suggesting that airstrikes were not the only way to address border violations. Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke with his Sudanese counterpart, emphasizing mutual respect and territorial integrity. This is the second reported strike on Jabal al-Uqaydat this year, following a June incident that killed 23 workers.