El Burhan promises probe into ‘Egypt attack on Sudanese miners’

Sovereignty Council President and Commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, has promised to investigate reports that Egyptian forces attacked Sudanese miners near the border, amid mounting calls for an independent international investigation into alleged Egyptian military operations inside Sudanese territory.

Speaking during a visit to El Rataj in Red Sea state today, El Burhan said authorities would investigate reports that Sudanese citizens had been attacked after crossing into Egypt. His remarks follow allegations by miners that Egyptian forces carried out aerial bombardments in a gold mining area on June 17 and 18, killing and injuring dozens. Miners say the site lies inside Sudanese territory.

El Burhan’s visit came amid heightened tensions in El Rataj, near the Sudanese-Egyptian border, where disputes between the Bishariyn and Rashaida communities over market ownership and administration have raised fears of tribal clashes.

Last week, the Red Sea State Security Committee deployed military reinforcements to the area following an emergency meeting chaired by Governor Maj Gen Mustafa Mohamed Nour.

Authorities said the deployment aimed to restore order, arrest offenders and enforce state authority in the border region, which hosts lucrative gold-mining sites and serves as a route for smuggling networks.

Tensions escalated after calls to expel Rashaida residents from the area. The Free Rashaida Youth Organisation rejected the demands, arguing that no group has the right to claim ownership of state land. The group called on authorities to register land rights, enforce the law and protect residents from extortion.

Addressing residents, El Burhan stressed that all Sudanese have the right to live and work anywhere in the country. He announced that army units deployed to the area would remain permanently and warned against carrying weapons, extortion and attempts to take the law into one’s own hands.

Egyptian Armed Forces announced a security operation in the country’s southern border region, saying they had arrested 223 suspects, including 136 foreign nationals, and seized vehicles, weapons, communications equipment and mining machinery. Egyptian authorities said the operation targeted illegal gold mining, smuggling and irregular migration.

Sudanese ambassadors and diplomats condemned what they described as Egyptian aerial bombardments and ground incursions into Sudanese territory and called for an urgent, transparent international investigation.

In a statement by the Sudanese Assembly of Ambassadors and Diplomats yesterday, they said the alleged attacks targeted civilian mining areas as far as 60 kilometres south of the Sudan-Egypt border and constituted a serious violation of international law.

The group also criticised the de facto authorities in Port Sudan for what it described as “suspicious silence” and a failure to protect Sudanese sovereignty. It urged the United Nations, the African Union, IGAD and the League of Arab States to investigate the incident and take steps to protect civilians.

The Sudanese Communist Party and the Civil Democratic Alliance of Revolutionary Forces (Sumoud) also condemned the reported attacks. Both groups called for accountability and support for victims, while Sumoud warned that continued foreign intervention risks deepening Sudan’s conflict and humanitarian crisis.