A Sudanese rights group, The Emergency Lawyers, says an airstrike killed 72 civilian miners at the Jabal al-Uqaydat gold mine in Sudan's River Nile state. The group calls its figure preliminary and says verification is ongoing. It accuses the Egyptian air force of carrying out the attack. Egypt has not publicly confirmed or denied responsibility.
The informal mine (also spelled Al-Aqeedat) lies near the Al-Ansari trading market. AFP places the site's gold market just south of the disputed Halayeb Triangle, while the Associated Press (AP) describes the area as the border triangle between Sudan, Egypt and Libya. Reports place the strike at about 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT). A survivor quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), a news agency, says a jet struck five times. Survivor Sharaf Ali said thousands of miners were at the site.
Casualty figures differ and attribution is disputed
Figures differ by source and verification is ongoing. These were the latest figures found as of 21:45 CEST on 11 October.
The Sudan Doctors Network reports at least 13 killed and 28 wounded. Sudan Tribune reports dozens killed and at least 20 wounded. The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS), a political coalition led by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), claims more than 200 killed, while acknowledging it has no access to the area. That claim is unverified.
Survivors told AFP that miners fled in several directions. Survivor Abdelaziz Youssef said: "It struck five times, many people were killed." He said people ran up the mountain, fearing another strike.
The Emergency Lawyers says the strike hit Sudanese territory. An unnamed Egyptian military source told EFE, a Spanish news agency, that the air force bombed a group that crossed into Egypt after ignoring warnings. The two accounts conflict. Neither is independently verified.
Spokespersons for the Sudanese and Egyptian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sudanese authorities have made no immediate public statement.
Observers are reading: the indicators that would confirm or weaken the Egyptian attribution, and how the June precedent shapes the reading of this strike.
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Separate Blue Nile strike and open questions
A separate drone strike on 9 October in Blue Nile state killed at least 30 displaced civilians, AFP reported. The Emergency Lawyers put that toll at 41 and blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group. No source reviewed links the two events. Earlier reporting covers Sudan's March accusation against Ethiopia and a drone strike on a fuel market in western Sudan.
Still unknown: the final toll, the responsible party, and any Egyptian or Sudanese statement. Crisis.zone will update as verified information becomes available.
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