Gold Mining Accidents Surge in Mauritania: President Calls for Enhanced Safety Measures

Recent mining accidents have resulted in dozens of casualties and injuries, largely attributed to the lack of safety precautions and insufficient rescue capabilities. There have been growing demands from various quarters for the authorities to ensure safer conditions for miners, aimed at preventing such incidents. The recurring accidents in gold exploration pits in northern Mauritania, due to similar safety and security concerns, underscore the urgency.

Many miners resort to using rudimentary methods to extract gold-bearing rocks from beneath the earth, intensifying the risks involved. Despite government appeals to adopt safety measures and abandon chaotic mining practices, such pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears as incidents of pit collapses continue, and the casualty count rises.

Mining unions claim that the absence of government oversight and inadequate rescue facilities are among the reasons for these recurring tragedies. Conversely, the government points to the miners' behaviors and their consistent disregard for safety guidelines as the primary cause.

Will President Ghazouani's recent calls succeed in consolidating efforts from both sides? Offering insights on this matter, Hamdi Ould Amar, President of the National Union of Mining Workers and Investors, joins us from Nouakchott for a Maghreb-focused segment.