Khartoum: Rhino – The Egyptian Army announced that it had carried out a security campaign in the south of the country against what it called “criminal hotspots” and groups it said were “engaging in illegal activities, including gold mining.” According to an army statement, the raids resulted in the arrest of 136 foreign nationals.

The Egyptian army’s statement comes a few days after the Egyptian military carried out airstrikes that left dozens of Sudanese miners dead or wounded in the North Wadi region within Sudanese territory, sparking a wave of condemnation from Sudanese political and social forces, who demanded a transparent international investigation into the attack. Meanwhile, the Sudanese army, which is close to Egypt, has not commented on the incident.

According to the statement, Egyptian forces seized large quantities of equipment and machinery used in gold mining operations.