Sudan forms a committee to investigate the circumstances of the “Al-Dahaba” bombing on the border with Egypt

After being stuck for a whole day under the weight of terror and hearing the sound of explosions in the harsh mountainous terrain, the young Sudanese Bahr El-Din Muhammad was able to reach the “Al-Ansari” market, that remote desert spot in northern Sudan, which has become a relative refuge in which dozens of Sudanese mineral prospectors, known as “miners”, took shelter, away from the furnace of what they describe as the aerial bombardment that struck the border area adjacent to the Sudanese-Egyptian border last Friday.

Bahr El-Din recounts to the BBC the details of the day of the “bombing,” which he was an eyewitness to, saying that he witnessed two warplanes flying in the airspace of the Red Mountain border region with Egypt, before that was followed by the appearance of a fighter that carried out an air strike that directly targeted a site for mining activities.

Bahr El-Din adds: “The plane strike claimed the lives of a group of 35 miners at the same moment. Then the survivors fled running into the open desert to escape death, and more than 20 injured miners died during attempts to evacuate them.”

Bahr al-Din’s testimony matches the statements of local sources who say that what is described as the aerial bombardment that targeted the Al-Aqeedat mine near Al-Ansari market in the “North Valley” area, resulted in the death and injury of dozens, without specifying a specific number, in light of the frequent conflicting numbers in this regard, but what is certain is that there are dead and injured among the miners.

Prospectors at the site explained that the miners' four-wheel-drive vehicles transported dozens of wounded and dead across the rugged desert roads towards nearby medical points, in the absence of a complete absence of medical care and urgent aid centers, or the presence of nearby medical points, which threatens to increase the death toll due to the severity and seriousness of the injuries.

A number of prospectors accuse the Egyptian forces of launching air strikes that they say were inside Sudanese territory, as a result of the civil excavation work and newly developed mining wells approaching sensitive border points and sites, without immediate comment from the Egyptian side on these accusations.

As for the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, it issued a statement three days after the incident, in which it said that its president, 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 what he described as a “painful incident,” determine all the circumstances and facts related to it, and submit a report on the results of the investigation.

The statement concluded by saying that the leadership in the two countries, Egypt and Sudan, “remained in contact immediately after the accident occurred, ensuring the protection of lives, preserving the relationship of the two brotherly peoples, knowing the circumstances of the accident, and making the facts known to public opinion.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty and Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem stressed the relations of mutual respect that unites the two “brotherly” countries, including respect for each country’s sovereignty, unity, and the integrity of its territories and borders, during a phone call that took place between them today, Monday, according to an official statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The statement did not address the accusations against Egypt in this regard, which the authorities in Cairo have not commented on so far.

These developments come as an extension of similar events that occurred in the same region last June. At that time, it was also said that the Egyptian army carried out attacks that caused deaths and injuries among the miners. After that, the Egyptian army announced that it had implemented expanded security campaigns within Egypt's southern borders to combat what it described as "smuggling networks, illegal immigration, and illegal gold prospecting." He said that this resulted in the confiscation of equipment and the arrest and interrogation of dozens of violators, but there was no indication on his part that he used warplanes or carried out bombing operations against miners.

Information has circulated, not officially confirmed, that the Egyptian authorities dropped leaflets a few days before the bombing, which is said to have occurred last Friday, to warn those in this area of ​​the danger of staying in certain places in the “north of the valley.” As was reported, these publications stated that there was an “Egyptian security campaign working to combat illegal exploration to protect the wealth of the Egyptian people.”

Al-Burhan had visited that region in the wake of the events it witnessed in June, and demanded that the miners not cross the Sudanese border to the Egyptian side, but his demands seem to have fallen on deaf ears from the miners.

Recent reports of a bombing that killed dozens of miners in the “North Valley” region sparked a wide wave of solidarity reactions and explicit condemnations by Sudanese political entities and human rights organizations. The "Emergency Lawyers" human rights group and the Sudan Doctors Network strongly condemned the bombing and demanded the opening of an urgent and independent investigation. The human rights group stated that what happened constitutes “a violation of sovereignty and international humanitarian law that may amount to a war crime or a crime of aggression.”

The political coalition, led by former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, also condemned the “raids” and called on the Sudanese authorities to announce a “clear position and take firm measures” to protect citizens and miners, stressing that the silence of official authorities regarding “repeated attacks” is unacceptable. Hamdok's coalition held the Egyptian side "directly responsible" for the killing of civilian miners inside Sudanese territory.

In turn, the Sudan Constituent Alliance, which is parallel to the Sudanese government and affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces, condemned what happened, holding the Egyptian government responsible for the killing of civilians.

In parallel, Sudanese social media platforms witnessed a widespread wave of anger and interaction by Sudanese users, as prospectors and activists circulated pictures and video clips showing what they said were the bodies of victims, and traces of destruction and sabotage caused to equipment and dilapidated prospectors’ camps deep in the desert.

Thousands of followers expressed, through multiple hashtags, their sadness at the situation of the miners, who were forced by the hardship of living and the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan to flee into the deserts and arduous exploration, calling for immediate international intervention to protect these vulnerable groups and secure the borders in a way that preserves lives and human dignity.

The Al-Aqeedat mine area, known locally as “Jabal Al-Aeqad” and the “Al-Ansari” market, are located on the far desert frontiers of northern Sudan, within the complex geographic scope of “Wadi Al-Alaqi,” which extends across the Sudanese-Egyptian border at 22 degrees north latitude.

This remote desert strip is intertwined with dry valleys and mountain paths that lack clear, dividing border marks, making it remote and isolated. The area is more than 200 kilometers north of the city of Abu Hamad, and about 350 kilometers from the city of Atbara, which doubles its isolation and the difficulty of delivering medical or relief supplies to it, amid extremely harsh desert climatic conditions.

The mining areas in the far north, such as “Jabal Al-Ayqad,” “Souq Al-Ansari,” and “Wadi Al-Alaqi,” are characterized by a complex geographical overlap, as the mountain ranges extending between the Sudanese and Egyptian borders are intertwined, and clear and prominent border signs are absent, making prospectors vulnerable to falling into areas of border conflict and blurry field demarcation.