Between January and March 2024, a catastrophic incident at the Naknak mining site in Greater Kapoeta in South Sudan highlighted the extreme dangers faced by unregulated artisanal miners when seven individuals perished after being trapped underground during a sudden rainstorm. The miners, lacking proper temporary shelters or safety protocols, sought refuge inside deep excavation holes as the rain began. Unaware of conditions on the surface, they were caught off guard when the nearby river flooded from its mountain source, rapidly filling their makeshift shelters – six miners drowned and another succumbed to injuries after reaching the surface, with only one survivor. This tragedy exemplifies how the absence of regulatory oversight, safety standards, and proper infrastructure in South Sudan's gold mining sector creates life-threatening conditions, especially for the estimated 60,000 artisanal miners operating across more than 70 concessions in the region, where basic safety measures and early warning systems for environmental hazards remain virtually non-existent.