The tragic fate of young Altayeb Alhadi highlights the grim reality faced by many families in Sudan amid ongoing economic collapse. Having lost both parents at a tender age, Altayeb took it upon himself to support his younger siblings. At just 14 years old, he travelled hundreds of kilometres from his home village of Galli to the artisanal gold-mining regions in northern Sudan, driven by a desperate need to feed his family and keep them in school, despite warnings from relatives about the immense dangers.

Altayeb's journey ended in catastrophe on October 10 when an air strike—allegedly carried out by the Egyptian military—hit a mining site near Jabal Al-Aigdat in Sudan's Red Sea region, killing at least 72 miners. According to eyewitness accounts, the bombardment struck without warning, throwing the camp into absolute chaos. Altayeb, who worked alongside other youths using basic tools to extract gold from rock, sustained fatal injuries and passed away shortly after the attack.

Since the outbreak of civil war between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces in 2023, the national economy has severely deteriorated, pushing thousands of destitute citizens into the perilous sector of artisanal gold mining. Research by the Chatham House think tank indicates that small-scale mining accounts for roughly 83 percent of Sudan's declared gold output, engaging about one million people and generating $1bn annually. Yet, these remote operations expose vulnerable workers to constant hazards, ranging from unstable mine collapses to sudden military violence.

Authorities in Egypt have purportedly accused Sudanese prospectors of crossing the border illegally and engaging in illicit activities such as smuggling, though independent evidence backing these claims remains scarce. The Sudanese military leadership allegedly ordered a fact-finding committee to investigate the deadly incident, mirroring previous inquiries whose findings were never made public. Meanwhile, Altayeb’s surviving siblings have been taken in by extended family members, as local communities struggle to cope with the heavy human toll of the ongoing regional strife.

Source: www.aljazeera.com