Two Mauritanian Gold Diggers Shot Dead By Algerian Troops

Nouakchott, February 11 (TNA) Two Mauritanian gold miners were killed today by Algerian troops, EFE learned from a security source in Zouerate, the Mauritanian town closest to the border with Algeria. The two victims were shot while searching for gold using artisanal methods in Algerian territory, the source said.

A third Mauritanian gold digger was wounded and taken to a health post north of Zouerate, the same source added. The Algerian soldiers also confiscated two vehicles held by the Mauritanians. The Mauritanian army has repeatedly warned these minors of the dangers of crossing or even approaching Mauritania's northern border, where it borders Algeria and the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

Indeed, many Mauritanians have been killed in drone bombings attributed to Moroccans while searching for gold in Saharan territory. Officially, Mauritania has never protested these attacks against its citizens outside its territory.