CLASHES BETWEEN CHAD GOLD MINERS LEAVE 100 DEAD

Mon 30 May 2022:

On Monday, Defence Minister General Daoud Yaya Brahim reported that around 100 people had died in clashes between gold miners in northern Chad.

Violence erupted on May 23 near the Libyan border in Kouri Bougoudi, starting by a “mundane dispute between two people that degenerated,” he added, with “around 100 dead and at least 40 wounded.”

The skirmishes took place in the central Sahara’s rugged Tibesti Mountains, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Chad’s capital, N’Djamena.

The finding of gold in the area has caused a rush of miners from all around Chad and neighboring nations, raising tensions.

The clashes were between Mauritanians and Libyans, the minister said.

This isn’t the first time that there’s been violence among gold miners in the region, and we have decided to suspend all gold mining at Kouri until further notice,” he said, adding that “the great majority (of mines in the area) are illegal,” the minister said.

The incident was originally reported on Wednesday, when Communications Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement that “loss of human life and several wounded,” but gave no further details.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES | FILE PHOTO

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