Sudan deploys troops to Red Sea state mining hub to defuse tribal tensions

June 17, 2026 (PORT SUDAN) – The security committee of Sudan’s Red Sea state deployed military reinforcements on Wednesday to the Al-Rataj area in the Halaib locality to contain escalating security tensions and clamp down on recent lawlessness.

The decision was made during an emergency meeting in Port Sudan, chaired by Red Sea Governor Major General Mustafa Mohamed Nour.

The committee discussed recent developments in Al-Rataj, located near the Sudanese-Egyptian border, where growing disputes between the Bishariyn and Rashaida groups have raised fears of a tribal clash.

The security committee said in a statement that all security forces were directed to move immediately to the area to resolve the unrest, remove violations, and arrest offenders to face legal action.

The committee added that the deployment aims to enforce the law and extend the state’s authority.

Al-Rataj holds growing economic significance due to its rich gold-mining sites, which employ thousands of traditional miners. The border area also serves as a transit route for smuggling networks.

Tensions escalated recently following calls to expel the Rashaida from the area on the grounds that they are “outsiders.”

The Rashaida rejected this classification, maintaining that the land belongs to the state and that no group has the right to claim ownership of it or to classify its residents.

A group calling itself the Free Rashaida Youth Organization in Al-Rataj issued a statement on Wednesday saying they had previously built up the border area, turning it from a deserted zone into a populated area by digging wells and building homes and markets.

The group added that the credit for developing the area belongs solely to them and criticized efforts by other parties to impose unauthorized fees and levies on those who built up the locality.

The statement called on the government to intervene, enforce the law, register land rights, and protect residents from extortion.