**KHARTOUM, Sudan** — Darfur Regional Governor Minni Arko Minawi has called for the swift release of investigation findings into airstrikes that reportedly killed Sudanese gold miners near the Egyptian border, demanding justice for the victims and their bereaved families.

In a statement mourning the deceased, Minawi expressed condolences to the families of those he described as innocent miners killed in the reported airstrikes, while urging authorities to expedite investigations and hold those responsible accountable.

“Mercy and forgiveness for the martyrs of the massacre of the innocent miners whom we lost as a result of the airstrikes,” Minawi said.

He demanded the “hastening of the announcement of the investigation results,” calling for those involved to be exposed and held responsible for what he described as a crime.

Minawi also stressed the need to secure justice for the victims and their families and to introduce measures that would prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Calls for Investigation and Accountability

The governor’s statement comes as Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, chaired by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, moves to investigate the reported attack on mining sites near the border with Egypt.

On Monday, October 12, al-Burhan ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee comprising representatives from the Public Prosecution, judicial institutions and security agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and submit a report on its findings.

The investigation follows reports by Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights organisation, that at least 72 people were killed in an airstrike targeting artisanal gold miners in the northern Wadi area.

The organisation accused the Egyptian military of carrying out the attack, but the allegation has not been independently verified. Egypt had not publicly claimed responsibility for the reported strike in the initial accounts.

A separate account by the Sudan Doctors Network, reported by The Associated Press, put the death toll at at least 13, with 28 people injured, highlighting discrepancies in the reported casualties.

## Pressure for Transparency

Minawi’s demand adds to calls for transparency over the circumstances of the strike, the identity of those responsible and the protection of civilians operating in the resource-rich border region.

Gold mining has become an important livelihood for many Sudanese amid the economic devastation caused by the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023.

The border area is also affected by longstanding territorial disputes between Sudan and Egypt, complicating security operations and the movement of miners.

The findings of the investigation are expected to be important in clarifying the circumstances of the incident and determining whether those responsible can be held accountable.

Minawi’s central demand is that the victims and their families receive justice and that measures be taken to prevent a recurrence of the reported attacks.