Sudanese Doctors Network warns of mining pollution after livestock deaths
May 22, River Nile — The Sudanese Doctors Network issued a stark warning on Friday regarding mounting environmental and health hazards in River Nile State driven by the unregulated use of toxic chemicals in gold mining activities. The warning follows the sudden deaths of more than 20 sheep that drank from contaminated processing basins.
In recent years, River Nile State has witnessed a massive expansion in traditional and artisanal gold mining. This rapid growth has fueled rising public fears over the environmental and health impacts of unregulated chemical deployment, particularly cyanide and mercury, during the gold extraction process.
The medical group’s intervention was prompted by viral social media video footage showing dead livestock in the state after drinking water tainted by chemical residues from a nearby mining site.
In a press statement released Friday, the network revealed that preliminary assessments by its field team indicate that water heavily polluted with cyanide and thiourea—both heavily used in gold processing—was the direct cause of the livestock deaths. The group stressed that the presence of these chemicals poses an immediate and severe threat to human life, livestock fortunes, and the local ecosystem.
The network noted that the incident underscores the scale of the dangers posed by haphazard mining practices and the unchecked use of hazardous chemicals. It highlighted the proliferation of open-air chemical processing basins located dangerously close to vital water sources, grazing lands, and residential zones.
According to the statement, the complete breakdown of rigorous health and environmental oversight has encouraged the chaotic expansion of toxic chemical use, threatening long-term ecological and public health disasters.
The Sudanese Doctors Network held the Ministry of Minerals and the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company fully accountable for the continuation of these practices and the resulting catastrophic fallout on human health, livestock, and the environment.
The group called on relevant authorities to take urgent action to curb unregulated mining, halt unsafe chemical processing techniques, and tighten monitoring protocols. It urged enforcement agencies to compel mining companies and local miners to strictly adhere to mandatory health and environmental safety standards.
Furthermore, the network demanded an immediate and transparent investigation into the livestock incident to hold those responsible legally accountable, thereby protecting citizens and national livestock wealth from fatal pollution risks.
Residents across various mining enclaves have repeatedly raised grievances over the contamination of local water supplies, sudden animal deaths, and the accumulation of toxic waste near residential and pastoral lands. Local communities frequently accuse regulatory bodies of turning a blind eye to lax enforcement and the widespread failure of mining operations to comply with standard environmental regulations.