{"id":5167,"date":"2026-10-21T12:40:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T12:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/egyptianforum.org\/?p=5167"},"modified":"2026-10-21T12:40:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T12:40:52","slug":"egypt-human-rights-organizations-call-for-an-independent-investigation-into-unlawful-airstrikes-targeting-gold-miners-near-the-sudanese-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/egyptianforum.org\/en\/egypt-human-rights-organizations-call-for-an-independent-investigation-into-unlawful-airstrikes-targeting-gold-miners-near-the-sudanese-border\/","title":{"rendered":"Egypt: Human Rights Organizations Call for an Independent Investigation into Unlawful Airstrikes Targeting Gold Miners Near the Sudanese Border\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0 undersigned human rights organizations condemn Egypt\u2019s presumed airstrikes against scores of Sudanese artisanal miners near the Sudan-Egypt border on 10 October 2026, in what appear to be mass extra-judicial killings. This comes within a <\/span>context <\/span><\/a>of <\/span>escalating tensions<\/span><\/a> in <\/span>recent months<\/span><\/a> over the control of lucrative mineral resources in a contested frontier area. CIHRS supports Sudanese rights groups\u2019 <\/span>calls<\/span><\/a> for an independent investigation into the events of 10 October to establish responsibilities and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.<\/span><\/p>\n

On 10 October 2026, artisanal gold miner camps on Jabal al-\u2018Uqaydat in the Shamal al-Wadi region near the Sudan-Egypt border were <\/span>hit <\/span><\/a>by multiple airstrikes, killing dozens of miners; survivors at the scene uploaded <\/span>graphic video footage<\/span><\/a> and photos of the <\/span>aftermath <\/span><\/a>to <\/span>social media<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 On 12 October, Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> plans to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the killings but <\/span>refrained <\/span><\/a>from blaming Egypt. While Egyptian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied carrying out the strikes, a military spokesperson <\/span>acknowledged<\/span><\/a> that day that Egypt was conducting operations against illegal gold mining in the Eastern Desert and had distributed leaflets beforehand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The New York Times <\/span>reported <\/span><\/a>\u201c<\/span>what appeared to be Egyptian munitions<\/span><\/i>\u201d in videos taken after the strikes, including \u201c<\/span>an unexploded Egyptian NASR 400 bomb<\/span><\/i>\u201d according to an explosive ordnance expert. The Sudanese independent outlet Ayin Network published an <\/span>investigative report<\/span><\/a> with open-source and satellite experts identifying two locations associated with the strikes, one in the Halayeb triangle, a long-disputed border area between Egypt and Sudan, and the other clearly inside Egyptian territory. The digital platform Sudanese Echo also <\/span>states<\/span><\/a> it has independently geolocated the same two areas. According to <\/span>Ayin Network<\/span><\/a> and the experts they consulted, there is \u201c<\/span>evidence linking the operation to US-made F-16 fighter jets [and] Egyptian-made bombs.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Taken together, these findings provide credible grounds to believe that Egyptian forces carried out the strikes and underscore the need for an independent investigation into their responsibility. After the 10 October strikes and a <\/span>similar event<\/span><\/a> in June 2026 in which <\/span>independent media<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>OSINT analysts<\/span><\/a> reported a number of civilian artisanal miners <\/span>killed<\/span><\/a>, the Egyptian <\/span>Ministry of Defense<\/span><\/a> and military <\/span>commentators <\/span><\/a>asserted without evidence they are targeting \u201c<\/span>criminal elements<\/span><\/i>\u201d involved not only in illegal mining but also in the <\/span>smuggling of arms, narcotics and people<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Egypt\u2019s obligation to respect the miners\u2019 right to life applies whether the strikes occurred in Egypt or Sudan. In a law enforcement operation, intentional lethal force is permissible only when strictly necessary to protect life, not simply to stop illegal mining. Distributing warning leaflets does not alter that requirement. The presence of armed \u201celements\u201d in the artisanal mining areas, as <\/span>alleged <\/span><\/a>by the Defense Ministry, does not make mining sites or civilian miners legitimate targets for military airstrikes, drone strikes or shelling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Artisanal miners can face life-threatening dangers, including collapsing shafts, serious injuries and exposure to toxic chemicals. Egyptian authorities should protect workers from these hazards, not compound them through unlawful lethal force. Egyptian authorities must end these attacks, ensure independent and impartial investigations, and hold those responsible to account. Any enforcement of mining laws or border controls must respect human rights and the rule of law.<\/span><\/p>\n

Signatory organizations:<\/span><\/p>\n