DR ‹ › On Monday, December 28, Algerian soldiers opened fire on Mauritanian gold prospectors, an incident that fortunately did not result in any civilian casualties. This confrontation took place within Mauritanian territory, in the northeastern part of the country near the Algerian border. Beyond merely seizing the prospectors' equipment, the Algerian military also assaulted several individuals, leaving some of the Mauritanian group injured. The severity of the attack forced the miners to abandon the area. Such actions by the Algerian army are not unprecedented in Mauritania. On December 20, 2024, Algerian soldiers in a vehicle breached Mauritanian territorial sovereignty. When intercepted by a Mauritanian army unit patrolling the border, the Algerian patrol offered «clumsy and unconvincing justifications, claiming they were pursuing terrorists and that poor communication prevented them from contacting the Mauritanian side». This latest operation echoes the kidnapping of several prospectors last September by Polisario militias near the El Malhate region, an area well within Mauritanian borders. Just last week, Polisario forces compelled Mauritanian gold prospectors to pay 1,500 ouguiyas each (approximately 32 euros) to continue their activities.
