After the Polisario attack on Smara, Mauritania orders evacuation of gold miners from the Sahara

The Mauritanian army has instructed gold prospectors to vacate the area east of the Sand Wall, constructed by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), according to a media outlet based in Nouakchott. The military has also cautioned the prospectors against crossing the border.

This directive was accompanied by the confiscation of «quantities of gold-bearing rocks hidden in the Azkoula region, northwest of the Tiris-Zemmour province», as reported by the same source.

The move comes shortly after armed elements of the Polisario launched projectiles on May 5, targeting civilians in Smara. The attackers were reportedly traveling in vehicles bearing Mauritanian registrations, similar to those used by gold prospectors during their expeditions.

Prior to the May 5 incident in Smara, Mauritanian civil authorities had already urged prospectors to avoid venturing into Western Sahara, but these warnings went unheeded. «Gold prospectors who cross the country's borders and explore outside expose their lives to danger», warned Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ahmed Lemine, the Mauritanian Minister of the Interior and Decentralization, back in January 2024.