Egyptian forces have been accused of crossing into Sudanese territory, detaining more than 600 Sudanese gold miners and confiscating gold and mining equipment during an expanding military crackdown along the two countries’ shared border.
The allegations, reported by Sudanese news outlet Al-Rakoba on Saturday, come as Egypt presses ahead with the fourth phase of its Southern Shield operation, officially aimed at combating unauthorised gold mining and cross-border smuggling.
A Sudanese miner who said he escaped the Egyptian security operation told Al-Rakoba that Egyptian troops had entered Sudanese territory and arrested more than 600 people working at mining sites.
According to the account, those detained were forcibly transferred into Egypt, with some taken to Abu Simbel prison in the country’s far south and others reportedly held at separate detention facilities.
The miner also alleged that Egyptian forces seized heavy mining machinery, prospecting equipment and more than 30 kilograms of gold-bearing material from Sudanese miners.
The claims regarding the number of Sudanese detainees, the alleged incursions and the confiscated gold could not be independently verified.
Surveillance installations raise sovereignty concerns
The same source alleged that Egyptian forces had expanded their presence inside Sudan by deploying surveillance and reconnaissance units and installing monitoring equipment, including cameras, to track mining operations and civilian movements.
The reported activities have prompted criticism from Sudanese political and civil groups, including the Sudanese Declaration of Principles Forces, which Al-Rakoba said had demanded an immediate halt to the operations.
The groups accused Cairo of violating Sudanese sovereignty by conducting security operations beyond its internationally recognised territory.
The accusations raise questions over border enforcement, the treatment of Sudanese nationals and the extent of Egypt’s military activities in areas where gold mining provides income to communities already affected by Sudan’s ongoing war.
Egypt confirms hundreds of arrests
Egypt’s military has acknowledged conducting a sweeping crackdown on gold mining near the Sudanese border but maintains that its operations are taking place within Egyptian territory.
Military officials said on November 5 that the first three phases of Southern Shield, launched in June, had resulted in the detention of 691 people, including 540 foreign nationals and 151 Egyptians.
Egypt has not publicly identified the nationalities of all foreign detainees. Its official figures therefore do not independently substantiate the separate claim that more than 600 Sudanese miners were arrested inside Sudan.
Egyptian military officials have also said the operation involves coordination and intelligence-sharing with Sudanese counterparts over border security.
Previous deadly strike fuels tensions
The latest allegations follow an October incident in which Sudanese rights organisation Emergency Lawyers reported that at least 72 artisanal gold miners had been killed in an airstrike in northern Sudan near the Egyptian border.
The group accused the Egyptian Air Force of carrying out the strike. Egypt’s military did not publicly address the allegation at the time.
The incident intensified concern among Sudanese mining communities over Egypt’s use of military force along the frontier and the ability of Sudan’s SAF government to protect civilians and safeguard the country’s mineral resources.
Cairo considers releasing detained miners
In a separate development on Friday, Egyptian lawmaker Mona Shaker said Cairo was preparing plans to release people detained for unauthorised gold prospecting and establish a state-backed company to regulate small-scale mining.
However, it remained unclear whether Sudanese nationals or other foreign detainees would qualify for release. The proposal had not been confirmed in an official presidential statement.
For Sudanese miners, the latest allegations have renewed concerns over detention, access to mining areas and the protection of Sudan’s territorial sovereignty.
The reported seizure of gold and equipment, if confirmed, could further strain relations between Cairo and Sudan’s SAF government, particularly as Egypt remains a significant regional supporter of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
