Algeria launches works in Tindouf iron mine, breaking joint exploitation agreement with Morocco

Algeria has recently launched the exploitation of the Ghara Jbilet mine in the Tindouf region, breaking a commitment with Morocco that dates back to the early 70s.

The Algerian Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, launched the exploitation of the iron mines at the end of last week.

The work will involve the western region as a site for the pilot phase. According to official Algerian media, the deposit to be exploited covers an area of 5,000 hectares, or a third of the total mine area (15,000 ha). The reserves in this area are estimated at 1 billion tons of iron.

The Algerian minister said that “this structuring project will go through several stages, from 2022 to 2040,” noting that “the first will operate from 2022 to 2025,” with the extraction and land transport of “two to three million tons of ore,” pending the completion of the rail line between Bechar and the site of exploitation.

The Algerian Council of Ministers, held on May 8 and chaired by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, agreed to launch the first phase of the project, which “represents an important source of revenue for the country” and is of “vital importance to advance the pace of local and national development” in Algeria.

Back in 1972, late King Hassan II and Algerian President Houari Boumediene agreed on a joint exploitation scheme for the Ghara Jbilet mine, part of the Moroccan-Algerian border demarcation declaration.

The two heads of state said that “the conclusion of the treaty of delimitation of the Algerian-Moroccan border and the treaty of cooperation for the investment of Ghara Jbilet confirms [their] firm determination to consolidate the pillars of a lasting peace, through the years and centuries.”

Nearly five decades after the signing of the border demarcation agreement, Algerian authorities have ignored this bilateral commitment to exploit the Ghara Jbilet mine.