Khartoum: At least 11 miners were killed after a gold mine collapsed in Sudan, a state-owned mining company announced on Sunday. The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company (SMRC) reported that the collapse took place in an "artisanal shaft in the Kirsh al-Fil mine" located in the government-controlled area of Houeid over the weekend.

According to Deutsche Welle, the SMRC had previously warned against working in the shaft due to the "risk to life." Gold mining plays a significant role in funding the ongoing civil war in Sudan, which erupted in 2023. The conflict pits the military against a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Mining industry sources and experts have indicated that a substantial portion of the gold extracted in Sudan is smuggled to neighboring countries like Chad, South Sudan, or Egypt before eventually reaching the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is the world's second-largest gold exporter. The UAE has faced accusations of supplying arms to the RSF.

The civil war has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and has displaced 13 million others, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.