Thirteen miners were killed and six others injured after a partial collapse at a gold mine in southern Sudan, authorities said Wednesday.
The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company said the collapse struck five abandoned shafts at the Umm Fakroun mine in South Kordofan last Friday.
Officials said the tunnels had been sealed, but desperate miners slipped inside illegally, chasing fragile livelihoods through dark, unstable underground passages.
Since war erupted between General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, Sudan’s gold has increasingly financed rival war efforts.
The conflict has shattered an already fragile economy, leaving communities unemployed, hungry, and drawn back to dangerous mines for survival.
Despite the devastation, the mining company reported gold production reached a five-year high of 70 tonnes in 2025.
Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim said only 20 tonnes were exported through official channels, highlighting the scale of Sudan’s shadow gold trade.
Sudan is among Africa’s top gold producers, with artisanal mines like Umm Fakroun providing most of the country’s output.
These informal sites often lack safety measures and use hazardous chemicals, spreading disease and danger across nearby villages.
Before the war plunged 25 million people into acute food insecurity, artisanal mining employed more than two million Sudanese.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 11 million, leaving tragedies like Umm Fakroun echoing across a wounded nation.
