A partial collapse of a gold mine in southern Sudan has killed 13 miners and injured six others, according to the state-run Sudanese Mineral Resources Company (SMRC) in a statement issued on Wednesday. The incident occurred last Friday in five abandoned shafts at the Umm Fakroun mine in South Kordofan state.
SMRC said the shafts had been shut down but were illegally accessed by miners seeking work. The tragedy comes amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which erupted in April 2023, with both warring sides reportedly relying heavily on gold revenues alongside foreign support.
Despite the war’s devastating impact on the economy, Sudan recorded a five-year high gold output of 70 tonnes in 2025, although much of the production is smuggled across borders. Officials say only 20 tonnes were exported through official channels.
Artisanal and small-scale mining, which dominates Sudan’s gold sector, continues to pose safety risks due to poor regulation and inadequate safety measures. On Friday, January 23, another mine collapse in South Kordofan killed six people and injured 12, with dozens reported missing.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced around 11 million people, and pushed 25 million Sudanese into acute food insecurity, while artisanal mining previously employed more than two million people.
