Dozens of gold prospectors killed in strikes on Egypt-Sudan border, rights group says

Eyewitnesses said the attack began around 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT), with the aircraft firing more than five missiles directly at the miners' camps, destroying them and excavation pits with people still inside, the newspaper wrote.The Sudan-tribune" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="182745" data-entity-type="organization">Sudan Tribune reported claims in June that Egyptian forces had used drones and artillery to target artisanal mining sites in the same region, killing several, after sporadic incidents of Egyptian border guards of burning equipment, torching temporary shelters, and firing live ammunition to disperse mine workers.Days later, Egypt's border agency announced that it and the military had begun a sweeping security campaign along the border to foil illegal migration, drug smuggling and illegal mining.At the same time, Sudan's de facto leader announced an investigation into the alleged strikes, which were said to have killed dozens.gold lies at the core of the border tensions. Sudan's ongoing civil war has led to a surge in artisanal mining - an often risky practice conducted by civilians with rudimentary tools and without official permission - particularly in remote areas near its borders. gold-rich areas such as those in River Nile state lie along porous borders in terrain historically associated with cross-border smuggling routes, with artisanally mined gold potentially feeding into those channels. Egypt's border force said in June that it had seized 86 tonnes of gold ore along with amateur prospecting equipment.