- Gunmen killed at least seventy-three people in the Jebel Iraq mine near Juba.
- According to diplomatic sources, the number of victims may reach up to eighty-six dead.
- Gold mining in South Sudan is largely unregulated.
At least 73 killed, 25 injured in South Sudan gold mine attackthe vice president there, James Wani Igga, said on Monday. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the AFP and AP agencies. The attack took place last weekend in the mining area of Jebel Iraq, approximately 70 kilometers from the capital.
The vice president said in a statement that the miners were “tragically killed.” “We have to provide urgent medical care and evacuation for 25 wounded,” he said, adding that it is necessary to investigate the incident, to reveal the identity and motive of the attackers.
A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll to the French news agency, although according to a diplomatic source, 75-86 people died. AP reports that a video is circulating on the Internet, which shows dozens of bodies lying on the ground. According to local journalists, many other victims of this incident apparently hid in the bushes nearby.
This gold mine has been the scene of violent clashes involving illegal miners in the past. Gold mining in South Sudan is largely unregulated, with individual state governments operating their sectors independent of national authorities.
South Sudan is the youngest country in the world recognized by the United Nations. In 2018 – after the end of a five-year civil war that claimed nearly 400,000 lives – President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar formed a transitional government and agreed to join forces to protect populations affected by conflict and climate disasters.
The unresolved rivalry between Kiir and Machar escalated into hostilities in March 2025, and since then the volatile East African nation has seen a sharp rise in violence. These tensions have raised fears of war in South Sudan.
According to a security source, Machor’s opposition forces are believed to be behind the gold mine attack. however, he notes that reports of the incident are “conflicting”. A spokesman for Machar, who has been under house arrest for a year, denied the responsibility of their troops for the attack and blamed it on South Sudan’s army.
