Rights group says 72 killed in air strikes on gold miners near Egypt-Sudan border

At least 72 civilians working as gold prospectors in a border region of Sudan have been killed in air strikes, according to the Khartoum-based rights group Emergency Lawyers.

The organisation said jets struck a popular artisanal gold mining site in Sudan's River Nile state on Saturday, killing the unarmed miners.

Neither the Egyptian government nor Sudan's de facto authorities have commented on the reported strikes.

Emergency Lawyers said Egypt has previously been accused of carrying out deadly strikes on gold prospectors as part of efforts to clamp down on illegal mining activity along its southern border.

The group said the latest strikes, along with earlier incidents, amounted to a breach of Sudan's sovereign territory and highlighted the government's inability to maintain control over the area.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Emergency Lawyers said the deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians breaches international humanitarian law and the right to life, adding that such actions could amount to war crimes.

The group cautioned that the death toll of 72 was provisional and could increase as more information emerges.