# At least 72 gold miners killed in border strikes

> A rights group says Egyptian jets struck artisanal miners in Sudan, raising questions about sovereignty and international law.
- Title: At least 72 gold miners killed in border strikes · BBC News
- Summary: A rights group says Egyptian jets struck artisanal miners in Sudan, raising questions about sovereignty and international law. Emergency Lawyers says at…
- Keywords: sudan, egypt, emergency lawyers, gold mining, air strikes, river nile state, artisanal mining, border tensions, news, world, least, gold
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqy43vrk8wv8o
- Published: 2026-10-11T21:12:44.203+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sudan, egypt, emergency lawyers, gold mining, air strikes, river nile state, artisanal mining, border tensions, news, world
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Emergency Lawyers says at least seventy two civilians prospecting for gold were killed in air strikes on Sudan's River Nile state on Saturday, allegedly by Egyptian jets.