Mauritania has evacuated Sahrawi gold miners from the United Nations buffer zone near the border between Morocco and the Polisario Front, according to reports on May 17, 2026. The operation targeted illegal mining activities in the disputed Western Sahara region.
The Polisario Front has not commented on the evacuation, which involved Mauritanian security forces removing individuals from the area. The buffer zone is monitored by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
Gold mining in the region has increased in recent years, drawing miners from various backgrounds. The Mauritanian government has not officially confirmed the operation, but local sources indicate it was a routine security measure.
