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Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Sudan gold mine collapse kills 11
KHARTOUM: The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. -- AFP KHARTOUM: A partial collapse of a traditional gold mine has killed 11 miners and wounded seven others in war-torn Sudan's northeast, the state mining company said on Sunday. Since war erupted between Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, both sides' war efforts have been largely funded by Sudan's gold industry. According to official and NGO sources, nearly all of the gold trade is funneled through the United Arab Emirates, widely accused of arming the RSF. In a statement, the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company (SMRC) said that the collapse occurred in an 'artisanal shaft in the Kirsh al-Fil mine' in the remote desert area of Howeid, located between the army-controlled cities of Atbara and Haiya in Sudan's northeastern Red Sea state. It did not mention when the collapse took place. The war, now in its third year, has shattered Sudan's already-fragile economy, yet the army-backed government announced record gold production of 64 tons in 2024. Africa's third-largest country is one of the continent's top gold producers, but artisanal and small-scale gold mining accounts for the majority of gold extracted. In contrast to larger industrial facilities, these mines lack safety measures and use hazardous chemicals that often cause widespread diseases in nearby areas. SMRC said it had previously suspended work in the mine and 'warned against its continuing activity due to its posing great risk to life'. Before the war, which has pushed 25 million people into dire food insecurity, artisanal mining employed more than two million people, according to the industry. Today, according to mining industry sources and experts, much of the gold produced by both sides is smuggled to Chad, South Sudan and Egypt, before reaching the UAE, the world's second-largest gold exporter. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Sudan, where over 10 million people are currently displaced in the world's largest displacement crisis. A further four million have fled across borders. — AFP
Arab News
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Sudan activists sound alarm on ‘catastrophic' situation in besieged Darfur city
KHARTOUM: Civilians trapped in Sudan's El-Fasher city are facing 'catastrophic' conditions, activists warned on Sunday, with their situation rapidly deteriorating amid a months-long paramilitary siege. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have taken most of the vast Darfur region in their war against the regular army since April 2023, but El-Fasher in North Darfur remains the only regional state capital the RSF has not conquered. A local advocacy group, the Darfur General Coordination of Camps for the Displaced and Refugees, said in a statement that residents 'bear the brunt of artillery shelling' and live 'with the sounds of aircraft and their terrifying and deadly missiles, in addition to the daily suffering of hunger, disease and drought.' Life in El-Fasher and other areas of Darfur 'has come to a complete standstill,' the group said, with no food at markets and a 'complete halt' in humanitarian aid. There was a sharp rise in prices of basic commodities and 'a severe shortage in cash,' it added, warning of an 'unprecedented and catastrophic deterioration' in already dire conditions in and around El-Fasher. The RSF-aligned armed group Sudan Liberation Army called on Saturday for civilians in El-Fasher and the nearby displacement camps of Abu Shouk and Zamzan to leave, warning of an 'escalation of military operations.' Another RSF ally, the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces, said it was ready to 'provide safe corridors' for residents to leave and head to 'liberated areas' under paramilitary control. In late March, the RSF announced its fighters had seized Al-Malha, which lies at the foot of a mountainous region 200 kilometers (124 miles) northeast of El-Fasher. Al-Malha is one of the northernmost towns in the vast desert region between Sudan and Libya, where the RSF's critical resupply lines have come under increasing attack in recent months by army-allied groups. The war has created what the United Nations describes as the world's worst hunger and displacement crises. More than 12 million people have been uprooted, tens of thousands killed and a UN-backed assessment declared famine in parts of the country. According to UN estimates, around two million people face extreme food insecurity in North Darfur state, with 320,000 already suffering famine conditions. Zamzam is one of three displacement camps around El-Fasher hit by famine, which a UN-backed assessment says is expected to spread to five more areas including the state capital itself by May.
