Egypt's crackdown on gold miners sparks fears of Sudan war spillover

The Egyptian army has launched a comprehensive crackdown on "unauthorised gold mining" along the border with Sudan, raising speculation that unrest in the southern neighbouring country is seeping into Egypt.

Footage of clashes between Egyptian border guards, on one hand, and unauthorised Sudanese miners, on the other, was widely shared on social media in the past few days.

Fatalities were also reported among the Egyptian troops, including a high-ranking officer who was allegedly killed during the clashes, along with some conscripts.

Since the eruption of the Sudanese civil war in mid-April 2023, Egypt has worked hard to shield itself against fallout from the war on its security, borders and internal conditions.

Cairo beefed up security along the 1,276-kilometre border with Sudan, adding to pressure from the turmoil in Libya, which shares an extended border with Egypt as well, to the east.

Now, a surge in illegal mining activities in the border area between Egypt and Sudan and Sudanese miners encroaching on Egyptian territory are worrying Egyptian observers.

"The surge in illegal gold mining activities in the border area has propelled repeated crackdowns by Egyptian army troops there," Egyptian political analyst Eslam Mansi said.

Speaking to The New Arab, he added that these illegal mining activities have compounded a rise in trafficking activities, which increases pressure on Egyptian border guards in the area.

"Egypt is obliged to beef up security in the area, which is known for its rigid and tough geography," Mansi said.

Heavy toll

The war in Sudan is having a socioeconomic impact on Egypt, adding to pressures on the economically-struggling Arab country from regional geopolitical tensions.

The war has caused hundreds of thousands of Sudanese nationals to flock to Egypt, straining its already weary resources and services.

In fleeing to Egypt, these Sudanese nationals have joined millions of other refugees from other regional states who have sought refuge in the country.

"Most of those displaced outside Sudan sought refuge in Egypt, knowing that they would be safe in the country," Sudanese political analyst Osman Merghani told TNA.

"The Egyptians also rolled out the welcome mat for those coming in from Sudan, causing the Sudanese to feel at home," he added.

Egypt has always boasted of being a refugee haven, but in recent months, it has started asking the international community to share the refugee burden with it.

The Egyptian government estimates the number of refugees living in Egypt at around 10 million, even as only a fraction of these people are registered with the United Nations refugee agency.

Egypt's ability to accommodate such a huge refugee community is also at the centre of cooperation between Cairo and European capitals, which shudder at the prospect of all or some of those refugees crossing the Mediterranean on their way to the European continent, analysts said.

The same ability fuels massive European economic and financial support for Egypt, including an overarching $8.1 billion package pledged by European countries in March 2024, involving billions of dollars in concessional macro-financial assistance loans and hundreds of millions of dollars in investments and grants.

Dragged into the fray

Illegal gold mining has long been rife along the Egyptian-Sudanese border, but it has increased dramatically since the Sudanese civil war erupted, according to observers.

Driven by rich gold deposits in the Nubian regions, these activities usually involve Sudanese miners and African migrants.

The current crackdown on these activities has reportedly resulted in the killing and arrest of some of the miners.

Egypt has been keen not to overtly be involved in the Sudan war, even as its support for the Sudanese army has been clear.

However, as time passed and the scales of the war tipped in favour of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Egypt found itself swept up in the conflict.

This Egyptian involvement is grounded in Cairo's fears that the RSF militia would control Sudan, leading to the neighbouring country's disintegration.

This prospect will add to the geostrategic mess in which Egypt finds itself, particularly amid unrest in Libya, the Red Sea, and the Gaza Strip on Egypt's north-eastern border, analysts point out.

"Egypt considers Sudan's disintegration a direct threat to its national security," Egyptian political researcher Nageh Mustafa told TNA.

Sudan's "disintegration", he added, would create a security vacuum along the border with Egypt, one that terrorist groups and trafficking rings would eventually fill.

"This will put Egypt's southern border in great peril," Mustafa said.

Egypt has reportedly upgraded a military airport in its Western Desert, close to its border with Sudan, in preparation for using the airport in support operations of the Sudanese army and against the RSF.

The Egyptian air force is also allegedly active in striking RSF supply convoys travelling to Sudan from neighbouring Libya.

Meanwhile, the involvement of some regional powers in supporting the RSF is complicating the war in Sudan and the situation for Egypt, analysts said.

Such support, they added, opens the door for lengthening the conflict and turning Sudan into an arena for regional rivalries.

Illegal gold mining activities add to this complex situation and show the war edging closer to Egypt. Given that most of the gold diggers encroaching on Egyptian territory are armed and ready to fight the Egyptian troops defending Egyptian sovereignty, the same analysts added.

"These gold diggers are part of larger cartels that operate under the protection of militias active in the border area," Mansi said.

"The recent killing of army troops in confrontations with these diggers throws light on the security problems Egypt is starting to face because of the war in Sudan," he added.

These problems, he said, make it necessary for Egypt to increase security measures to bolster its border defence.