Rabat – The Algerian army has killed four gold miners, Mauritanians and Sahrawis, in an attack last Thursday in the remote area of "Al-Kouizi" within Algerian territory. One person was badly injured.
Reports say the Algerian forces seized equipment and vehicles belonging to the miners. So far, there has been no word yet within Mauritanian media or from the separatists group the Polisario Front.
However, this is not an isolated event. In May, an Algerian drone killed nine gold miners near Tindouf. In April, three Sahrawi miners met a similar fate near Tindouf’s "Dakhla" camp.
Even more shocking, in October 2020, two Sahrawi miners were burned alive in a deep pit by Algerian soldiers.
FORSATIN, a group that advocates for Sahrawi rights , have called these attacks a “massacre.” They accuse Algeria of targeting civilians and blame UN bodies for ignoring abuses in Tindouf while siding with Algeria and the Polisario Front.
Activists have time and time again called for investigations into these crimes. At the same time, Algeria has not responded. Instead, violence appears to escalate, leaving families in grief and survivors in fear.
Most of the victims are often young men searching for gold to flee poverty. Many live in poverty-stricken slums inside the Tindouf camps, with little hope for stable work or humanitarian reliefs.
The Sahrawi people face a grim reality as they are caught between two fires: the aggression of the Algerian military and the harsh control of the Polisario Front.
Meanwhile, as international bodies remain silent, their cries for justice and help grow louder by the day.
Reports say the Algerian forces seized equipment and vehicles belonging to the miners. So far, there has been no word yet within Mauritanian media or from the separatists group the Polisario Front.
However, this is not an isolated event. In May, an Algerian drone killed nine gold miners near Tindouf. In April, three Sahrawi miners met a similar fate near Tindouf’s "Dakhla" camp.
Even more shocking, in October 2020, two Sahrawi miners were burned alive in a deep pit by Algerian soldiers.
FORSATIN, a group that advocates for Sahrawi rights , have called these attacks a “massacre.” They accuse Algeria of targeting civilians and blame UN bodies for ignoring abuses in Tindouf while siding with Algeria and the Polisario Front.
Activists have time and time again called for investigations into these crimes. At the same time, Algeria has not responded. Instead, violence appears to escalate, leaving families in grief and survivors in fear.
Most of the victims are often young men searching for gold to flee poverty. Many live in poverty-stricken slums inside the Tindouf camps, with little hope for stable work or humanitarian reliefs.
The Sahrawi people face a grim reality as they are caught between two fires: the aggression of the Algerian military and the harsh control of the Polisario Front.
Meanwhile, as international bodies remain silent, their cries for justice and help grow louder by the day.
