Atbara, June 17 (Darfur24)
At least 15 people were killed and more than 50 others injured on Tuesday when unidentified aircraft carried out airstrikes on artisanal gold mining sites in the Jabal al-Uqaydat area near the Sudanese-Egyptian border, according to eyewitnesses and local sources.
The attack targeted mining areas northeast of Atbara in River Nile State, one of Sudan’s most active artisanal gold production zones.
Ahmed Mustafa, an eyewitness, told Darfur24 that the strikes hit the Jabal al-Uqaydat mine, causing heavy casualties among miners. He said several of the wounded sustained serious injuries.
According to Mustafa, the injured were initially transported by trucks to Al-Ansari market in Abu Hamad locality before being transferred to hospitals in Atbara for treatment.
A miner in the area, Al-Nadhir Ishaq Mohamed, said the mining zone had witnessed intensive aerial surveillance during the week leading up to the attack.
He told Darfur24 that aircraft had repeatedly flown over the area and photographed mining sites before launching the strikes.
“The aircraft fired three missiles at the mine, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries,” he said.
Mohamed explained that the Al-Uqaydat mining area hosts around 6,000 artisanal miners from various parts of Sudan, including Darfur, Kordofan, Gedaref and Sennar states, as well as miners from Chad.
He said the attack triggered a mass exodus from the mining sites of Jabal al-Ahmar (Red Mountain), Jabal al-Abyad (White Mountain), and Al-Uqaydat, with miners fleeing toward Al-Ansari market, approximately 200 kilometers from the targeted area.
A video verified by Darfur24 and posted by one of the miners showed an appeal for urgent assistance to evacuate the wounded and provide transportation, food, and drinking water to those affected by the attack.
Darfur24 was unable to independently verify the final casualty toll at the time of publication, and the party responsible for the airstrikes remained unknown.
Mining areas along the Sudanese-Egyptian border have witnessed recurring security incidents in recent years. In March, at least nine artisanal miners were killed and others injured during clashes involving armed men and Egyptian border guards in the Wadi al-Ansari area along the border.