Gold and oil in Tindouf

Clues to the existence of places of gold and oil in the department of Tindouf (south-east) have been discovered by the Algerian oil company Sonatrach and foreign companies, according to the direction of Mines Tindouf. These indices have been identified as a result of exploration work carried out following calls for national and international tender launched by the Algerian Ministry of Energy and Mines, said the same direction, cited by 'Algerian APS agency Monday evening.

• The Direction of Mines in Tindouf, a department bordering Morocco, did not tell about the importance of deposits discovered in areas south-east of Tindouf.
  
  ’These areas have been excavated that led to these indices, generating great interest from foreign operators who have already visited the region,’ deposits in Ghar Djebilet and Mechri Abdelaziz, including Brazilians, Koreans and South Africa, he added.
  
  The Direction of mines of Tindouf indicated that a foreign operator has obtained an act of exploitation of gold deposits from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, without specifying its indentité.
  
  Algeria, which has produced 3 tonnes of gold from 2001 to 2007, would increas its production to 3 tons per year from 2008, according to the National mining heritage.
  
  M. Oudina/ Ennahar / AFP