Egypt detains hundreds near the Sudan border in a crackdown on illegal gold mining

CAIRO (AP) - Egyptian security forces detained hundreds of people, including foreigners, on the country's border with Sudan, accusing them of illegal gold mining and smuggling, the military said Monday.

Egypt's southern region is rich with gold mines and the government has launched big mining projects there including the Sukari megaproject.

The military statement said ithe detainees included 87 Egyptians and 136 other foreigners, without naming their countries. The operation included the seizure of "large amounts of equipment and devices used in illegal mining operations," the military statement said.

The region borders Sudan, which is also rich with gold mines, and with the chaos of Sudan's three-year war, much of the mining there is unregulated. More than 50% of gold mined in Sudan was smuggled out of the country, according to a U.N. Panel of Experts Report in 2024. Gold accounts for 70% of the country's revenue.

Video clips posted online showed hundreds of Sudanese people at a border crossing between Egypt and Sudan, with Sudanese media reporting they were miners detained and expelled by the Egyptian government.

Gold has been a central part of the war in Sudan between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces who have smuggled out thousands of tons of gold from the Darfur and Kordofan regions to fund themselves.

The Egyptian military said a number of suspected gold miners surrendered to Egyptian authorities who were later sent them back to their home country. It didn't elaborate on the nationalities of those who were detained or expelled.

The Egyptian military also warned that "it retains all available options to deal with all threats."