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Unemployed youth dig for gold in Algeria

August 21, 2017 at 10:03 am

Hundreds of young people are flocking to the Iferi neighborhood in Djanet, Algeria, to dig for gold after a group of young men found small pieces in the border areas of Illizi province.

Since Saturday evening hundreds of young people, particularly those who are unemployed, have rushed to dig in the area and ship earth to be filtered.

Despite bad conditions, such as poor lighting at night, the young diggers use every possible means including using the light on their mobile phones.

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Residents of the city and nearby areas in Tamanrasset province are waiting to find out if the discovery really is raw gold. It is not known whether local authorities have started any serious investigations to verify what was found in the Iferi neighborhood.Gold has long been mined in Algeria in the desert areas such as the south of Illizi province and northern Tamanrasset.

People travel from neighbouring countries to search of gold. Large numbers of these people have been arrested by security authorities for entering into Algerian territory illegally and possessing prohibited metal detection devices.