Egypt's military said it was engaged in a large-scale operation in the south of the country to tackle gangs involved in drugs and arms trafficking, as well as illegal gold prospecting.
Troops arrested 87 Egyptians and 136 foreign citizens, the military said in a statement. They seized firearms, ammunition, 14 vehicles and radio devices, as well as local and foreign currency. A large amount of equipment used in "random prospecting for mineral wealth" was also found.
The military did not give details of the nationalities of the foreigners arrested. But security officials this week told The National that hundreds of Sudanese had been detained over accusations they entered the country illegally to prospect for gold in the desert and mountains of south-eastern Egypt.
The military statement, issued late on Monday, said the operation would continue. An unspecified number of illegal migrants had been deported, it added.
The statement, which made no mention of Sudan, said those arrested "posed a direct threat to national security and, moreover, negatively impact the nation's economic stability".
The officials told The National that the area near the southern border had attracted up to 50,000 gold prospectors from Sudan, including members of smuggling gangs, who used crude instruments to search for gold.
Sudanese social media users have said the prospectors were operating in Sudan's Red Sea region and called for an international inquiry into the Egyptian security operation and its casualties. The military statement made no mention of any casualties.
Videos posted online this week appear to show hundreds of Sudanese men walking in the desert. One clip purportedly shows dozens fleeing from an Egyptian military vehicle.
The officials said the operation had been carried out in co-ordination with the Sudanese armed forces.
Gold prospecting has often been a shadowy occupation in Sudan, but it has grown significantly since the civil war broke out in 2023, causing an economic crisis.
The war between the armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began after months of tension between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo escalated into open hostility. Tens of thousands are believed to have been killed and 14 million have been displaced by the conflict, which has created what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
