Moroccan Military Drone Strikes Vehicles in Buffer Zone Near Mauritanian Border

On Wednesday, a drone from the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) bombed two cars and a large truck belonging to gold prospectors residing in the Tindouf camps, in the Al Mek area, located in the buffer zone near the Mauritanian border, reports Hespress. The Mauritanian prospectors who were also carrying out illegal prospecting activities in these areas had to flee to the interior of Mauritania. No loss of human life is to be deplored.

According to sources on the site, the area where this bombing took place has seen similar incidents in recent years due to the infiltration of Sahrawi and Mauritanian gold prospectors into the buffer zone. "Some adventurers among them do not hesitate to penetrate this zone in the hope of a quick gain, but the problem arises when they come with vehicles to transport the stones they have collected containing gold," they say. Last May, a Moroccan drone destroyed a vehicle belonging to the Polisario, reducing it to rubble and leaving no chance of survival for its occupants.

On Thursday, the Mauritanian authorities, represented by the Wali of the wilaya of Tiris Zemmour, in the far north of Mauritania, held an emergency meeting with the unions of the artisanal mining industry in the region. On this occasion, they urged the prospectors of their country to respect the territorial sovereignty. For the Wali of the wilaya of Tiris Zemmour, it is necessary to take urgent measures to impose on the gold prospectors the respect of the borders of the country during their prospecting activities. He also relies on large-scale awareness and information campaigns.