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Egypt's army said on 12 October that it had launched the third phase of an operation against illegal gold mining near the Sudanese border, its first official statement after air strikes on artisanal mining sites on 10 October. The Emergency Lawyers group counted at least 72 dead at Jabal Al-Uqaydat, while survivors quoted by Sudan Tribune put the toll above 200. Egypt said it targeted "criminal elements" after dropping warning leaflets, and Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ordered a judicial and military inquiry the same day. The strikes strain Burhan's ties with his main regional backer and could push thousands of Sudanese miners away from one of the few income sources left in the war.
