Mauritania reiterates warnings against cross-border gold prospecting amid growing security concerns

Authorities in Mauritania have renewed calls for artisanal gold miners to respect national borders, amid escalating concerns over unauthorized incursions into neighboring Morocco during prospecting operations.

During a recent visit to the border district of Bir Moghrein in the northern Tiris Zemmour region, the regional governor, Tayyib Ould Mohamed Mahmoud, issued a stern warning to prospectors, urging them to confine their activities strictly within Mauritania’s territory.

“Miners must respect national borders and comply with laws, customs, and bilateral agreements governing our relations with neighboring countries,” Ould Mahmoud emphasized at a press conference.

His remarks come in response to repeated incidents of Mauritanian miners crossing into Moroccan territory, prompting security and diplomatic concerns in Nouakchott. The unauthorized prospecting not only endangers the miners but also risks straining relations with Morocco and Algeria.

In a statement to Hespress AR, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Al-Hassan, president of the Mauritanian Miners’ Union, described the actions of those venturing beyond national borders as “reckless and illegal.” He said such activities “endanger the lives of the miners and embarrass the Mauritanian state diplomatically,” portraying the country in a negative light.

Ould Al-Hassan attributed the issue to a lack of awareness, particularly among unskilled laborers unfamiliar with the geography and lacking GPS tools. “Often, they are misled by investors or vehicle owners who finance what can only be described as death expeditions,” he said.

The union leader noted that unemployment among Mauritanian youth pushes many to seek income through artisanal mining — an informal sector that does not require educational qualifications. He also highlighted how some religious fatwas, which reject the concept of borders between Muslim nations, encourage the violation of neighboring countries’ sovereignty.

When asked about government measures to address the issue, Ould Al-Hassan criticized the efforts as “insufficient.” He pointed to the absence of deterrent penalties, a lack of border security infrastructure, and the nonexistence of regular military patrols and checkpoints.

He called for a coordinated approach involving administrative and military authorities working directly with mining unions to craft a robust strategy. “Only by taking firm action against violators can Mauritania enforce its territorial sovereignty,” he asserted.

Ould Al-Hassan also warned of emerging threats within the mining sector, including armed gangs targeting miners and a growing number of foreign nationals operating in the area. He stressed the urgent need for trilateral cooperation between Mauritania, Morocco, and Algeria to secure the borders and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.

Despite repeated warnings from authorities and civil society groups, some miners continue to cross into Moroccan-controlled buffer zones in Western Sahara in pursuit of gold. These actions raise the specter of retaliation by the Moroccan Armed Forces, which have previously deployed drones against vehicles detected in sensitive border regions.