The Sudanese Sovereignty Council issues a statement after a “painful incident” on the border with Egypt

The Transitional Sovereignty Council in Sudan announced, on Monday, the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate what it described as a “painful accident” to which a number of Sudanese miners were exposed in the border region between Sudan and Egypt, according to an official statement.

The President of the Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, issued a decision “to form a fact-finding committee that includes representatives of the Public Prosecution and the relevant judicial and security authorities, to investigate the circumstances of the incident, determine all the circumstances and facts related to it, and submit a report on the results of the investigation.”

The Council affirmed in the statement that “protecting the lives of Sudanese citizens and preserving their safety and dignity is an inherent responsibility of the state,” and stressed “the necessity of dealing with the incident seriously in a way that ensures revealing the facts and protecting and respecting borders.”

The statement added, "The leadership of the two countries is in contact immediately after the accident occurs, to ensure the protection of lives, the preservation of the relationship between the two brotherly peoples, knowledge of the circumstances of the accident, and the ownership of the facts to public opinion."

Pictures and videos have spread on social media in recent hours of what were said to be victims of miners as a result of air strikes in the border areas between Egypt and Sudan.

Egypt did not issue a statement about the incident, but the Egyptian Armed Forces had announced in previous statements that they were confronting “illegal” gold mining within Egyptian territory, and were continuing to pursue those involved in it.