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The Mauritanian government has issued a stark warning to gold miners, urging them to avoid «border areas» where security is not guaranteed, according to a Nouakchott media outlet. This stern message echoed through a press briefing on Wednesday, delivered by the Minister of the Interior and Decentralization, Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ahmed Lemine. «Gold prospectors who cross the country's borders put their lives in jeopardy», he emphasized.
This warning comes after previous fatalities among gold miners. While Minister Ould Ahmed Lemine refrained from directly mentioning the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) in these incidents, he acknowledged ongoing efforts to raise awareness.
Administrative and military authorities in the north, he explained, have undertaken a dedicated «citizen awareness process» to educate miners about respecting Mauritania's geographical borders. «Some responded to this campaign», he noted, «while others turned a deaf ear».
This renewed warning follows the January 3rd confirmation by Mauritanian Oil and Mines Minister and government spokesperson Nani Ould Chrougha of four Mauritanian gold miner deaths in an airstrike reportedly conducted by a FAR drone. Ould Chrougha emphasized that the Mauritanian state's focus lies solely on «securing the national territorial space».
