Sudan gold mining - in pictures

  • Gold mining residues are piled up near a residential area in the village of Banat, north of the Sudanese capital Khartoum. AFP
    Gold mining residues are piled up near a residential area in the village of Banat, north of the Sudanese capital Khartoum. AFP
  • The four-year-old son of Awadya Ahmed, born blind and crippled, a handicap that she blames on a large mound of gold mining waste left near her house in Banat. AFP
    The four-year-old son of Awadya Ahmed, born blind and crippled, a handicap that she blames on a large mound of gold mining waste left near her house in Banat. AFP
  • Exposure to mercury, used to extract gold, poses particular risk to the nervous, digestive and immune systems. AFP
    Exposure to mercury, used to extract gold, poses particular risk to the nervous, digestive and immune systems. AFP
  • Exposure to mercury could be fatal, according to the World Health Organisation. AFP
    Exposure to mercury could be fatal, according to the World Health Organisation. AFP
  • Nafisa Ali Al Awad, 8, who is unable to walk or speak, a handicap believed to be caused by her exposure to gold mining residues, with her father. AFP
    Nafisa Ali Al Awad, 8, who is unable to walk or speak, a handicap believed to be caused by her exposure to gold mining residues, with her father. AFP
  • Gold mining residues near an agricultural field in Banat. AFP
    Gold mining residues near an agricultural field in Banat. AFP
  • Exposure to mercury also threatens the development of children in the womb and early in life, the WHO said. AFP
    Exposure to mercury also threatens the development of children in the womb and early in life, the WHO said. AFP
  • Mining remains a source of fast profits and attracts many living in dire conditions in Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries. AFP
    Mining remains a source of fast profits and attracts many living in dire conditions in Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries. AFP