Sudan’s army chief and Transitional Sovereignty Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has ordered an investigation into the deaths of Sudanese miners near the Egyptian border, the council said on Monday.
The fact-finding committee will include representatives of the Public Prosecution and relevant judicial and security authorities. It will establish the circumstances of the incident and submit a report on its findings, according to a council statement seen by Radio Tamazuj.
The investigation follows a similar probe promised after a reported attack on Sudanese miners on June 17 and 18 this year, which was attributed to Egyptian forces.
Conflicting casualty figures
Reports of casualties from Saturday’s airstrike differ sharply.
The rights group Emergency Lawyers said the strike in the mountainous Jabal al-Uqaydat area killed 72 people, attributing the attack to Egypt. The Sudan Doctors Network reported 13 deaths and 28 injuries. The figures have not been independently reconciled.
The incident has drawn condemnation, with critics urging Sudanese authorities to establish the circumstances of the attack, determine responsibility and make the investigation’s findings public.
In its statement, the council said Sudanese and Egyptian leaders had remained in contact following the incident. It stressed the need to protect lives, preserve relations between the two peoples and establish the facts transparently.
The council described protecting the lives, safety and dignity of Sudanese citizens as a fundamental responsibility of the state, while emphasising the need for a thorough investigation and respect for the border.
It also expressed condolences to the families of the miners killed in the border area between Sudan and Egypt.
Egypt is one of Burhan’s closest regional allies and a key supporter of his military campaign against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whose war with the Sudanese army began in April 2023.
A witness at the mine said a plane carried out several strikes on Saturday morning, triggering panic at the site.
The incident was the second reported attack this year on Jabal al-Uqaydat. In June, airstrikes reportedly carried out by Egypt killed 23 workers at the informal gold-mining site.
At the time, the Egyptian military did not claim responsibility for the strikes but said it had conducted a “large-scale operation” against illegal gold mining within its borders.
The border between Sudan and Egypt is disputed, with both countries claiming the resource-rich Halayeb Triangle.
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