Two Egyptian army officers, one a senior border guard, were killed during a crackdown on illegal gold mining along the country’s southern border with Sudan, a military spokesperson said Thursday. The officers were part of a broader campaign that began in June and has moved through three completed phases, with the fourth phase now in progress.
Officials said the campaign aims to strengthen state control over Egyptian territory and protect national resources. While the exact timing of the officers’ deaths was not disclosed, the spokesperson confirmed that 151 Egyptians and 540 foreigners have already been detained as part of the operation.
The military highlighted coordination with Sudanese authorities, noting recent meetings between officials from both countries and the exchange of information to secure the disputed border area. The campaign has drawn attention after the rights monitor Emergency Lawyers reported that an airstrike in northern Sudan had killed 72 artisanal miners and blamed the Egyptian Air Force for the strike. Egypt’s military has neither confirmed nor denied that allegation.
Gold mining has surged in northern Sudan since the country’s civil war disrupted livelihoods, and much of the mineral is smuggled into Egypt through the Halayeb and Shalateen regions. The campaign’s fourth phase is slated to begin on Saturday, with authorities issuing warning leaflets to what they describe as “criminal elements.”
