13 miners killed in Sudan gold mine collapse

January 28, 2026 (ABU JUBAYHAH) – At least 13 miners were killed and six others injured when five gold mining shafts collapsed in Sudan’s South Kordofan State, officials said on Wednesday.

The disaster is the latest in a series of fatal accidents involving informal gold mining across Sudan, where dangerous conditions have claimed scores of lives in recent years.

Sudan’s artisanal mining sector employs more than two million people, a workforce that has expanded significantly since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023. These miners, often working in remote and precarious environments, account for more than 80% of the country’s total gold production.

The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company (SMRC) in South Kordofan said in a statement that five abandoned shafts at the Umm Fakroun mine in Abu Jubayhah County collapsed on Jan. 23. In addition to the confirmed casualties, several people remain missing.

Warsha Nasser, the SMRC state director, said the shafts had been decommissioned and were no longer in use. He noted that miners had illegally entered the site and removed structural supports, causing the shafts to become unstable and collapse.

Warsha said the company has launched a safety initiative for 2026 to prevent further collapses. The plan involves securing abandoned sites with security forces, filling in unstable shafts, and redesigning mines to modern technical standards to improve safety and production.

The director urged miners to follow safety regulations and avoid abandoned sites to prevent further loss of life.