Mine Collapse in West Kordofan Kills More Than 80

Overview

• The Al-Zaraa artisanal gold mine near El-Nahud collapsed on Tuesday, leaving more than 80 people reported dead and dozens injured according to a source linked to the Rapid Support Forces.
• Rescue teams have continued work with rudimentary tools and say heavy machinery is needed to remove rock and earth, while an unknown number of miners remain trapped.
• Casualty figures come from RSF-linked sources and survivor testimony and have not been independently verified, so the toll may change as recovery teams reach deeper pockets.
• Artisanal and small-scale mining in Sudan is largely manual, uses abandoned or informal pits, and has drawn many displaced and unemployed people since the 2023 army‑RSF war.
• Sudan produced about 70 tonnes of gold last year but much is believed to be smuggled abroad, and recent EU limits on mercury and cyanide exports reflect growing international concern about predatory, unsafe gold trading.