Air strikes kill at least 72 gold miners in northern Sudan

Air strikes killed at least 72 gold prospectors on Saturday in a border region in Sudan, according to reports from UPI, Firstpost, and Moneycontrol.com. The legal rights group Emergency Lawyers, which is based in Khartoum, reported that Egyptian warplanes targeted the artisanal miners at a popular mining site in the River Nile state. [1][2][3]

UPI reported that neither the Egyptian government nor the de facto Sudanese authorities have commented on the allegations. Egypt has previously faced accusations of launching lethal strikes against prospectors as part of a crackdown on illegal activities along its southern border. [1]

The rights monitoring group said the alleged aerial attacks were a violation of the sovereignty of Sudan. [1]

Sudan has experienced long-standing instability since gaining independence in 1956, having previously been governed under joint Anglo-Egyptian condominium rule. [5]