Khartoum, March 13 (Darfur24)
At least nine traditional miners were killed and 13 others injured in armed clashes with Egyptian border guards in the Wadi al-Ansari area along the Sudanese-Egyptian border last Tuesday, according to relatives of the victims and local sources.
Ismail Mohamed Khalil, a relative of the victims, told Darfur24 that the miners, all from Qureida locality in South Darfur State, had been working in gold mines northeast of River Nile State near the Egyptian border when the clashes erupted.
He said information from survivors who fled the area indicated that Egyptian border guards launched an attack on the mining site, which was met with resistance from armed miners, leading to casualties on both sides.
The victims were reportedly from the Qureida and Al-Jawghana areas of South Darfur.
Egyptian authorities have not issued an official statement on the incident. However, the military spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces posted photos on Thursday showing Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher visiting wounded soldiers at the Armed Forces Medical Complex in Al-Galaa.
The post said the minister visited injured members of the armed forces receiving treatment at the facility “in recognition and appreciation of their sacrifices to protect the homeland,” without specifying where the soldiers were wounded.
Ahmed Abdullah, another relative of one of the victims, told Darfur24 that three of the dead have been identified so far: Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ghali, Yaqoub Yahya, and a third individual whose name has not yet been confirmed.
He added that several injured miners were transferred to hospitals in River Nile State for treatment, while families in Qureida have set up a mourning tent for the victims as uncertainty remains about the fate of others reported missing.