At Least 72 People Killed in Airstrike in Northern Sudan

At least 72 people working at a gold mining site have been killed in an airstrike in northern Sudan, near the disputed border between Sudan and Egypt, according to a Sudanese human rights organization.

The Emergency Lawyers organization, which records abuses occurring in the Sudan conflict, stated that Egyptian warplanes targeted a mining site located in the Wadi area of northern Sudan.

The organization reported that preliminary data indicates that 72 civilians died in the attack that occurred on Saturday, but the report of the attack has not been independently verified, and the Egyptian government has yet to issue any official statement regarding the allegations.

This attack marks the second of this year in the mountainous region of Jabal al-Uqaydat, which is rich in gold and other minerals. In June of this year, an earlier attack in the same area was reported to have killed 23 people working at a gold mining site.

The Egyptian military at that time stated that it had carried out a large-scale operation against illegal mining occurring within Egyptian territory.

The Emergency Lawyers organization stated that the latest attack occurred within Sudanese territory, accusing Egyptian officials of seeking to expand their influence and take control of the natural resources located in the border area.