Gold Mine Collapse Near Al-Nuhud, RSF-Held West Kordofan, Kills At Least 67

A cascading collapse of hand-dug shafts at the Al-Zaraa artisanal gold mine near Al-Nuhud, West Kordofan — territory held by the Rapid Support Forces — killed at least 67 people on September 16, 2026, according to the Sudanese Doctors Network, while an anonymous RSF source told AFP the toll was at least 82 dead and 50 wounded. Survivor Khair al-Sayyed Jabara said 'we don't know how many more are still inside,' and miner Amin Suleiman described how the shafts collapsed in sequence: 'each one pulled down those beside it.' Dozens of artisanal miners had been trapped since Tuesday morning; rescue teams lacked heavy machinery and relied on basic hand tools to dig through loose, sandy soil at depths of more than 30 meters, with no specialized rescue services present. The Sudanese Doctors Network denounced the absence of safety standards and protective or rescue equipment in RSF-administered mining zones, saying the conditions 'turn mining into a direct threat' to civilians. Gold remains one of Sudan's few functioning export sectors amid the war; fatal collapses at unregulated artisanal mines have recurred throughout the conflict.