North Darfur mine well collapse traps dozens

A water well in one of the gold mines in Jebel Amer in North Darfur on Thursday collapsed with dozens of people inside.

Gold miners in El Sareif locality in North Darfur reported the incident to Radio Dabanga, estimating that 40 to 50 people are under the rubble.

“Only one person has been rescued, and seven bodies have been taken out of the well.” Rescue operations were still being held on Friday to reach any survivors or bodies. “The well collapsed inwards, which makes the rescuing very difficult.”

After the army withdrew from Jebel Amer in early 2013, the mining area has witnessed a number of tribal clashes between the Beni Hussein and Abbala tribes.The area is currently under control of Abbala tribesmen. Gold has been the main source of income in Sudan since it became an oil importer when South Sudan seceded in 2011, and a large part of it is produced by traditional mining, carried out by individuals and locals.

In August the Minister of Minerals said he intends to allocate a portion of the revenues from gold mining and other minerals to the states, and to provide services to traditional miners who work in harsh and unhealthy environments.