Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi has called for coordinated investigations between Sudan and Egypt into deadly airstrikes on gold-mining settlements near their shared border, saying most of the reported victims were from Darfur.
Minnawi said he met Egypt’s ambassador and consul at the Egyptian Embassy in Port Sudan on Wednesday to discuss the October 10 bombardment in the North Wadi region, which has sparked widespread anger and mounting demands for accountability.
In a statement published on Facebook, Minnawi said Egyptian diplomats expressed regret over the loss of life and reaffirmed Cairo’s commitment to establishing the circumstances surrounding the incident through an investigation conducted in cooperation with Sudanese authorities.
He urged both governments to exchange investigative findings and publicly disclose their conclusions, saying transparency was essential to reassuring victims’ families and preventing further tensions between the neighbouring countries.
The bombardment has been blamed on Egyptian military aircraft by Sudanese rights organisations, including Emergency Lawyers, which reported at least 72 deaths. Other accounts have placed the toll above 200, although the competing estimates remain independently unverified.
Egypt has acknowledged conducting military operations against unauthorised gold mining along the border but has not formally accepted responsibility for the reported civilian deaths.
Minnawi cautioned against directing unsubstantiated accusations at Sudan’s Joint Forces or holding entire communities responsible for the actions of individuals.
He also appealed to Sudanese and Egyptian citizens to exercise restraint, warning that retaliatory violence and inflammatory media coverage could deepen the crisis and endanger civilians.
The governor urged journalists in both countries to verify information before publication and avoid spreading unconfirmed reports that could fuel hostility.
His intervention comes amid heightened tensions following the killing of two Egyptian truck drivers in Khartoum on Monday, an incident whose possible connection to the border strikes has not been established.
Rights groups demand answers over missing miners
Sudan’s National Human Rights Commission has also begun procedures to establish a fact-finding committee to investigate the bombardment, according to Sudan News.
The commission called for accountability over attacks on civilians and urged the military-led Sovereignty Council to publish the findings of the investigation announced earlier this week.
Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ordered the formation of that committee on Monday, bringing together prosecutors, judicial officials and security representatives. No deadline for its findings has been announced.
Separately, the Sudanese Human Rights Monitor raised concerns over reports that miners fleeing the attacks had been detained after reaching Port Sudan, while others were allegedly taken into Egyptian territory.
The organisation demanded urgent efforts to establish their whereabouts, identify those responsible for any detentions and guarantee the missing individuals’ safety and legal rights.
It also called for an independent investigation, access for humanitarian and rescue teams, and the preservation of evidence from the affected mining sites. The detention allegations have not been independently verified.
The latest developments have increased pressure on both Cairo and the Port Sudan authorities to explain the bombardment, determine the number of victims and establish who ordered and carried out the strikes.
A previous investigation promised after similar attacks on Sudanese miners in June has yet to produce publicly disclosed findings, raising further questions about whether the latest inquiry will deliver accountability.
