The search for gold is a dangerous and laborious gamble for Sudan’s miners

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Sudan’s war and collapsing economy have pushed many people into artisanal gold mining, despite the work’s severe risks. The piece centers on Altayeb Alhadi, a 16-year-old who had left his village in White Nile state to work in northern Sudan so he could support his younger siblings after both parents died when he was a child.

According to the report, Alhadi had taken on transport and other jobs before joining a small mining crew near Jabal Al-Aigdat in Sudan’s Red Sea region. He was killed on October 10 in an air strike the article attributes to the Egyptian military. Al Jazeera says the attack killed at least 72 miners and describes the site as part of a broader zone of repeated strikes near the Sudan-Egypt border.

The article places his death in the wider context of Sudan’s artisanal gold sector, which has become a major source of income during the civil war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. It notes that miners often work with basic tools, face collapsing shafts, unstable ground and limited medical care, and may earn little unless they find gold. Al Jazeera also says that while the sector can provide cash for families with no other options, it has been exposed to violence and disputes over border activity.

The report says Alhadi’s relatives and community members are now caring for his siblings and trying to honor his memory.