2 gold miners killed, 3 injured in Sudan mine collapse
- State-owned company says collapse happened at abandoned mine shaft in Gedaref state
By Adel Abdelrheem and Rania Abushamala
KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL (AA) - Two gold miners were killed and three others injured when an abandoned mine shaft collapsed in Sudan’s eastern Gedaref state, the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company said Sunday.
The state-owned company said in a statement that the collapse occurred Friday at the Al-Shuhada mine in Gedaref state. The victims had entered an abandoned shaft despite a decision by local authorities and police to shut it down, it added.
According to the statement, the company’s environmental and safety department had repeatedly warned against entering abandoned or closed mine shafts and urged miners to comply with orders to close unsafe sites and refrain from mining there to protect their lives and safety.
Sudan’s traditional mining sector employs more than 2 million people across the country, often under extremely harsh conditions. Small-scale miners produce about 80% of the country’s total gold output.
The government allows traditional mining but seeks to regulate the sector. Despite its risks and environmental drawbacks, it provides livelihoods for large numbers of Sudanese.
Sudan relies heavily on gold as a major source of foreign currency after losing about three-quarters of its oil revenues following South Sudan’s secession in July 2011, which deprived the country of about 80% of its foreign currency resources.
Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, when tensions over the integration of the paramilitary force into the regular military escalated into fighting.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 13 million, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to UN and international estimates.
Rania R.a. Abushamala