Gold mine collapse in Sudan's West Kordofan kills at least 60 artisanal miners

Shaft collapse at Al-Zaraa

An artisanal gold mine collapsed in Sudan's West Kordofan province, trapping dozens of workers beneath rock and loose sand. The disaster occurred at the Al-Zaraa mine in the Fouja area, situated north of the desert town of Al-Nuhud. Six hand-dug shafts gave way, with local accounts indicating that the structural collapse accelerated late on Tuesday, while some local media reported initial instability as early as Sunday. The site consists of unsecured open pits and makeshift wells where small-scale miners extract ore manually. The remote location and complete absence of specialized safety infrastructure left workers vulnerable when the unstable ground caved in.

Rescue efforts and casualty estimates

Fellow miners launched an immediate overnight rescue operation using only shovels and rudimentary handheld equipment. Rescuers retrieved 60 bodies by Wednesday morning, though casualty counts continued to rise as reports arrived from different organizations. Broadcasters in the Netherlands and Italy confirmed at least 67 deaths alongside 25 injuries, while a source within the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces stated that the death toll reached at least 82. The Kordofan Observatory reported that more than 70 miners were dead or missing, adding that sandy soil complicated excavation and that specialized emergency crews were not present. One survivor pulled from the rubble on Tuesday stated that additional trapped workers could still be alive.

Khair al-Sayyed Jabara, a survivor who participated in the overnight search, described the limitations facing local rescue teams.

Everyone's working very hard to retrieve the bodies or any survivors, but it's difficult. We need heavy machinery to clear the rock and soil.

Gold trade and conflict financing

West Kordofan remains under the control of the Rapid Support Forces, who have been engaged in armed conflict with Sudan's military since April 2023. Gold extraction serves as a primary source of revenue for both warring factions, funding weapons procurement and military operations across the country. Mining industry sources and Sudanese officials state that nearly all gold produced in Sudan flows to the United Arab Emirates through official exports or smuggling networks, though UAE officials deny supplying military equipment to the paramilitary group. A United Nations report noted that competition for mineral wealth and territory has driven fighting throughout the conflict. Human rights groups have documented widespread abuses in RSF-held areas, with Amnesty International reporting ethnic cleansing and Doctors Without Borders reporting systematic sexual violence.

Hazardous conditions and regulatory bans

Sudan is one of Africa's largest gold producers, but severe economic hardship and job scarcity have pushed thousands of young men into dangerous artisanal mining. In army-held northern and eastern provinces, workers enter decommissioned industrial shafts, while in southern regions like Kordofan, operations rely on large unsecured pits. In 2021, a similar mine collapse in West Kordofan killed dozens of workers. Beyond the constant danger of structural collapses, artisanal miners routinely handle hazardous chemicals, including mercury and cyanide, to separate gold from ore without protective gear. In response to these environmental and health risks, the European Union imposed a ban in July 2026 on the sale, supply, export, and transfer of mercury and cyanide to Sudan.