Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese displaced by war are turning to artisanal gold mining in the relatively safer River Nile and Northern states, expanding hazardous operations around El-Obeidiya, Abu Hamad and nearby seasonal valleys. With agriculture, industry and trade disrupted, an estimated 2 million to 5 million people now depend directly or indirectly on the largely unregulated sector for income.
Miners use mercury mixers and cyanide basins near date palms, homes and shallow groundwater. Millions of tonnes of chemical-laced waste, known locally as karta, have accumulated near farms, waterways and residential areas.
The units were not specified, but the reported results were described as far above safety thresholds used by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Earlier surveys found mercury and cyanide in 20% of sampled drinking-water supplies north of Atbara and south of Berber, while biological samples from children aged four to 11 showed mercury exposure.
The contamination threatens clay water-cooling pots, livestock troughs and the Keheila canal, as well as farmland and groundwater. Residents have reported respiratory and skin ailments, but the available reporting does not establish that mining caused those illnesses. Researchers have previously documented mercury contamination in Abu Hamad soil and water, where miners commonly use mercury to form gold amalgam before heating it and where tailings may later be treated with cyanide.
The war has also made mining more dangerous. The aircraft’s identity was not immediately established. Egyptian authorities had reportedly warned miners to leave the area, and Egypt has detained people accused of illegal mining and smuggling along the border.
Gold is central to Sudan’s wartime economy. Independent analysis has also found that more than half of Sudanese gold was smuggled through informal channels in 2024, while gold-producing areas controlled by rival forces have helped finance the conflict.
The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company says mercury and cyanide are prohibited outside certified facilities, but acknowledged that displacement, insecurity and the country’s size have weakened oversight. The agency says it is conducting joint inspections with state governments and security forces to dismantle unauthorized sites and protect water supplies.