Seventy two killed in border strikes

Emergency Lawyers, based in Khartoum, says jets targeted artisanal miners at gold mining sites in Sudan's River Nile state on Saturday. Neither Egypt nor Sudan's de facto authorities have commented.

Rights group calls it a war crime

Emergency Lawyers said the strikes violated international humanitarian law. It stated: "The deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians violates international humanitarian law and the right to life. These acts may constitute war crimes."

“The deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians violates international humanitarian law and the right to life. These acts may constitute war crimes.”

Attack destroyed camps and excavation pits

The Sudan Tribune reported eyewitnesses said the attack began around zero six hundred local time, with aircraft firing more than five missiles directly at miners' camps, destroying them and excavation pits with people still inside.

Pattern of alleged Egyptian strikes

The Sudan Tribune reported claims in June that Egyptian forces used drones and artillery to target artisanal mining sites in the same region, killing several.

Gold fuels border tensions and conflict

Sudan's civil war has driven a surge in artisanal mining in remote border areas.Smuggled gold may fund armed insurgent groups and undermine Egypt's legitimate gold market.