*Dr Dele Alake, Chairman of Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG).
The Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) has expressed deep sorrow over the reported loss of lives in the collapse of an informal gold mine near Al-Nuhud town in West Kordofan, Sudan, calling for urgent rescue operations and sweeping safety reforms in Africa’s artisanal mining sector.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its Chairman, Dele Alake, the group extended its condolences to the families, relatives and communities of the artisanal miners killed in the incident, as well as to the people and authorities of Sudan.
The tragedy occurred at the informal Al-Zaraa gold mine, where initial reports indicated that dozens of miners had died while several others remained missing and were feared trapped beneath the rubble.
AMSG described the incident as a major human tragedy that underscores the dangerous conditions confronting millions of artisanal and informal miners across Africa.
According to the group, the reported collapse of interconnected shafts in loose terrain highlights the structural vulnerabilities associated with unregulated mining operations, particularly in remote and conflict-affected areas.
It said artisanal mining remains an important economic lifeline for many communities facing conflict and economic hardship, but stressed that the sector should not operate at the expense of human life and dignity.
“While artisanal mining serves as a vital economic lifeline for communities weathering severe conflict and economic hardship, it must never come at the cost of human dignity and safety,” AMSG said.
The group identified the absence of structural engineering standards, appropriate safety equipment and effective regulatory oversight at many informal mining sites as major contributors to the risks faced by miners.
It also expressed concern over reports that rescue efforts at the Sudanese site had been severely constrained by the lack of heavy excavation machinery, leaving survivors and local responders to rely largely on rudimentary hand tools.
Against the backdrop of the tragedy, AMSG called for the immediate mobilisation of regional and local resources to support rescue operations at the Al-Zaraa mine.
It urged the relevant authorities and stakeholders to urgently deploy heavy lifting and excavation equipment to the site to accelerate the search for trapped miners and provide medical assistance to survivors.
Beyond the immediate rescue efforts, the group called for stronger measures to improve the safety of artisanal miners and accelerate the formalisation of informal mining operations across Africa.
AMSG urged governments, regional institutions and industry stakeholders to work together to bring artisanal and informal mining activities into regulated frameworks while providing miners with safety training, basic protective equipment and effective institutional oversight.
The group stressed that the protection of human life must remain paramount in mineral resource development.
“Human life must always supersede resource extraction,” it said, adding that vulnerable workers operating in conflict-affected and politically unstable regions must be protected from preventable structural hazards.
AMSG reaffirmed its commitment to advocating policies that promote the responsible exploitation, management and processing of Africa’s mineral resources while ensuring that mining is undertaken with dignity, safety and respect for human life.