Nouakchott moves to seal Sahara border, pushes miners out of no-go zone

Mauritania has begun enforcing a 10 kilometre civilian exclusion zone along parts of its northern borders, including areas adjacent to the Sahara, in a move aimed at tightening security, curbing smuggling and limiting the movement of armed groups, according to a professional source from artisanal mining unions.

The decision requires gold prospectors to withdraw at least 10 kilometres from the border line, mirroring measures previously applied along the Algerian frontier, where miners were given a one week deadline to evacuate sensitive zones and warned against approaching the border.

The measure, taken at senior levels of the Mauritanian state, applies to borders with Algeria, Mali and Sahara, with two limited exceptions. One lies west of Bir Moghrein, and the other near a site known as Zakoula, around 120 kilometres from the Mauritania Algeria crossing, where no serious border incidents have been recorded and where facilities of the state owned company Maaden Mauritanie are present.

According to the source, the newly appointed governor of Tiris Zemmour recently visited mining sites accompanied by units of the army, gendarmerie and national guard, informing prospectors of the decision on the ground.

The move is expected to restrict the activity of foreign smugglers trafficking fuel and food from Algeria, Mauritanian miners operating beyond national borders, and elements of the Polisario Front who, the source said, had previously moved with relative freedom across border areas, creating diplomatic and security pressure on Nouakchott.

The source added that artisanal mining unions have long called for a secured buffer zone along Mauritania’s vast northern borders, which stretch for roughly 2,500 kilometres, citing repeated incidents, cross border tensions and the difficulty of policing remote desert areas.

Implementing the decision, however, will require substantial logistical, financial and human resources, including fixed checkpoints and mobile patrols to deter violations.

Authorities have opted to begin with the Algerian border following recent clashes and dangerous encounters between Mauritanian prospectors and Algerian border guards, with plans to gradually extend the exclusion zone across the entire northern frontier.

A key challenge, the source warned, will be supplying mining sites with food and fuel. Many prospectors have relied heavily on smuggled Algerian goods, often brought in by young Sahrawis from the Tindouf camps.
If smuggling networks are tolerated, the source said, the exclusion zone risks becoming ineffective, as Mauritanian citizens are pushed away from the border while foreign actors continue to circulate freely.