By Zainab Bakare
The Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, AMSG, Dele Alake, has called for immediate rescue mobilisation following the collapse of an informal gold mine in West Kordofan, Sudan.
Alake urge authorities to pool all available regional and local resources and deploy heavy lifting and excavation equipment to the Al-Zaraa mine site to speed up search-and-rescue efforts.
In a statement, the AMSG chairman also call for medical support for any survivors and urged authorities to prioritise the safety of miners.
The group say initial reports indicated that dozens of people had died, while others remained missing and were feared trapped beneath the rubble.
According to Alake, the collapse of interconnected shafts in loose terrain highlights the dangerous conditions faced by artisanal and informal miners across Africa.
He call for faster formalisation of artisanal mining, with governments and industry stakeholders providing training, safety measures and regulatory oversight.
Alake also notes that rescue efforts had been hampered by a lack of heavy excavation equipment, leaving survivors and local responders to rely on basic hand tools.
The AMSG described the incident as a major human tragedy and expressed condolences to the families and communities affected by the collapse.
Alake stress that human life must take priority over mineral extraction, particularly in conflict-affected and unstable regions.
The group said it would continue advocating for policies that promote safer and more responsible mining practices across Africa.
