Sudan: Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills Dozens As Search for Missing Continues

What the report says

At least 60 people were killed in the collapse of a gold mine in southern Sudan, according to the RFI report distributed by AllAfrica, with more workers still missing and feared trapped under debris. The incident occurred at the Al-Zaraa mine in West Kordofan, an area described in the report as being under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Rescue efforts were continuing after the shafts began giving way on Tuesday, but miners said the search was being carried out with basic hand tools and without the heavy equipment needed to move rock and soil safely.

The article said the mine was part of Sudan’s broader small-scale and often unregulated gold sector, where many young people have turned to mining because jobs are scarce. It noted that artisanal mining remains a major source of employment in the country, though it is also associated with dangerous working conditions, unstable shafts and the use of hazardous chemicals such as cyanide and mercury. The European Union moved in July to restrict sales and transfers of those chemicals to Sudan, the report added.

The collapse also highlights the role of gold in Sudan’s war economy. The report said fighting between the army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has been funded in part by the country’s gold trade. It cited Sudanese officials and mining industry sources in saying much of the exported or smuggled gold ultimately reaches the United Arab Emirates, which denies supplying weapons to the RSF. The report said mine collapses are common in Sudan, especially in unregulated or abandoned sites.