# Sudan Gold Mine Collapse: RSF Refused Rescue

> Sudan’s RSF refused to rescue miners after Al-Zaraa gold mine collapse killed at least 82.
- Title: Sudan Gold Mine Collapse: RSF Refused Rescue · Drop Site News
- Summary: Sudan’s RSF refused to rescue miners after Al-Zaraa gold mine collapse killed at least 82. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces refused to rescue miners trapped in a…
- Keywords: sudan, rsf, al-zaraa gold mine, miners, gold mine collapse, sudanese armed forces, west kordofan, sudan war, mining safety, sudanese mineral resources company, news, politics
- Source: Drop Site News — https://dropsitenews.com/p/sudans-rsf-refused-to-rescue-dozens
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sudan, rsf, al-zaraa gold mine, miners, gold mine collapse, sudanese armed forces, west kordofan, sudan war, mining safety, sudanese mineral resources company, news, politics
## Gold Mine Collapse
At 3 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 32-year-old Abu Fayza al-Fadil climbed out of a shaft at Sudan’s Al-Zaraa gold mine to rest.

> I went out to rest for a few minutes, and suddenly the ground shook and the shaft disappeared, along with everyone inside it.
## Shaft Collapse
The shafts collapsed, burying dozens of miners underground with at least 82 killed and 50 injured.
## RSF Refused Help
Survivors said the RSF refused to rescue trapped miners after being asked for assistance.

> We went to a Rapid Support Forces post about 15 minutes away and told them people were trapped. They had two excavators, and they refused to help.
## Miners' Accounts
Mohammed al-Hassan said 25 miners died, 17 survived with injuries, and 6 remain missing after the collapse.

> Twenty-five died. We pulled their bodies out ourselves. Seventeen of us made it, six of them injured, and we got them out with our own hands.
## RSF Control
The RSF, which controls West Kordofan state, was a partner in running the Al-Zaraa mine.
## Mining Safety
Informal mines lack safety equipment, shoring, and rescue tools, leading to frequent collapses.

> Informal mining relies on shallow digging without any shoring, personal protective equipment or rescue tools.
## Local Rescue
Residents used tools from home to rescue trapped miners and provide first aid.

> We found the young men in a state of shock and bewilderment. Some of them did not know what had happened.
## No Authorities
No medical teams or government response was reported after the collapse.

> None of the miners Drop Site spoke to saw medical teams or any response from the authorities.
## Miners' Stories
Abu Bakr Hamid al-Daqil, 27, died with 30 others in a third shaft, leaving his mother and sister without support.

> Since his father’s death, he had been the sole provider for his mother, Halima Mustafa, and his sister, Fatima.
## Mining Economy
Over two million people work in Sudan’s mining industry, with no set income or safety.

> A miner who goes down the shafts might spend three months at a mine and find a single piece of gold worth around $2,000.
## Gold Rivalry
Sudan’s war divided gold fields between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces.

> Gold was a source of rivalry between the SAF and the RSF even before the war began in April 2, 2023.
## Recent Collapses
This is the fourth major gold mine collapse in Sudan this year, following three others.

> This is the fourth major gold mine collapse in Sudan this year, following Abu Jubeiha in January, where at least six miners died, Keliti in April, which killed at least seven, and Wadi Halfa in July, where 15 died.
## Key takeaway

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces refused to rescue miners trapped in a collapsed gold mine, leaving 82 dead and dozens missing.