RT reported on Monday that the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement following accusations it was responsible for an airstrike targeting an artisanal gold mining site near the Egypt-Sudan border—specifically in the Jebel al-Aqaidat area on Saturday.
The statement neither explicitly denied nor confirmed the execution of airstrikes within Sudanese territory, nor did it specify the locations of the operations it alluded to; instead, it merely affirmed that the campaign targets illegal gold mining activities within Egyptian borders.
It announced that law enforcement personnel—comprising both military and civil police forces—are continuing the campaign.
This follows the dropping of warning leaflets addressed to individuals it called “criminal elements,” with the aim of asserting sovereignty within Egyptian territory and protecting the nation’s assets and natural resources.
The statement stressed the deep political and popular ties uniting Egypt and Sudan, highlighting the coexistence enjoyed by millions of Sudanese people living in Egypt.
The army urged the people of the Nile Valley to obtain information from official sources and to avoid being swayed by rumors or what it described as foreign agendas aimed at undermining the fraternal relations between both nations.
While Sudanese human rights and political groups accused Egyptian aircraft of carrying out the raids, the identity of the party responsible has not been independently verified.
There are conflicting reports regarding the casualty toll.
Media outlets cited the Sudan Doctors Network as reporting 13 miners killed and 28 injured—warning that the death toll could rise due to the severity of injuries and the difficulty of reaching the wounded—whereas the Sudanese Emergency Lawyers group said that the death toll had reached 72.
Egypt’s sweeping campaign
Egyptian authorities had warned miners against remaining in the area prior to the attack—described by the Associated Press as a border zone—whereas Sudanese groups said that the raids took place within Sudanese territory.
The Egyptian army’s campaign against illicit gold mining stems from security operations announced earlier this year – on June 22, the Armed Forces began a sweeping campaign within the Southern Military Zone, conducted in coordination with Interior Ministry, targeting what they described as criminal hotspots involved in illegal gold mining, trafficking in drugs and weapons, and irregular migration.
At the time, the army stated that the campaign resulted in the arrest of 223 individuals—including 87 Egyptians and 136 foreign nationals—and the seizure of vehicles, equipment, weapons, and ammunition.
It emphasized that the targeted activities posed a threat to national security and economic stability, in addition to undermining efforts to protect mineral resources.
On August 2, the Egyptian military spokesperson announced the launch of the campaign’s second phase, involving intensified sweeping and raid operations in areas identified as sites of illicit mining activity, carried out in coordination with relevant state agencies.
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