AMSG Demands Urgent Rescue Equipment for Collapsed Sudan Gold Mine

The Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), Dr Dele Alake, has called for the immediate mobilisation of rescue equipment to the site of a deadly gold mine collapse in West Kordofan, Sudan.

Alake also raised concern over difficulties in the rescue operation, noting that survivors and local responders were reportedly relying on rudimentary hand tools because of the lack of heavy excavation machinery.

He urged authorities and regional stakeholders to urgently pool available resources and deploy heavy lifting and excavation equipment to the Al-Zaraa site to speed up search-and-rescue operations and provide medical assistance to survivors.

Alake, who is also Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, in a statement issued on behalf of the AMSG expressed condolences to the families and communities of artisanal miners who lost their lives in the collapse at the informal Al-Zaraa gold mine near Al-Nuhud.

Initial reports indicate that dozens of miners may have died, while several others remain missing and feared trapped beneath the rubble.

The AMSG Chairman said the incident showed the dangerous conditions confronting millions of artisanal and informal miners across Africa, particularly in remote and conflict-affected areas.

He said the reported collapse of interconnected shafts in loose terrain highlighted the risks created by inadequate structural engineering, lack of protective equipment and weak regulatory oversight.

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The AMSG also called on African governments, regional bodies and industry stakeholders to accelerate the formalisation of artisanal and informal mining operations through training, safety standards and stronger institutional oversight.

“Human life must always supersede resource extraction,” Alake said, stressing the need to protect vulnerable miners from preventable hazards.

He reaffirmed the AMSG’s commitment to promoting policies that ensure Africa’s mineral resources are mined, managed and processed with greater emphasis on safety, dignity and respect for human life.