An illegal gold mining network, comprising Chinese, Chadian and Nigerian nationals, has been dismantled in southern Libya , local authorities have said in a statement. The network, led by a Libyan man, was mining four large sites in the southern desert, said the Tripoli attorney general, which posted photos of the mines and seized gold ingots on its Facebook page on Sunday. Two-thirds of the vast oil-rich country is desert and difficult to monitor, though gold mining is not thought to be widespread. The foreign nationals who carried out the mining were staying illegally in Libya, the attorney general said, without clarifying when they were arrested.

Source: Libya Today December 04, 2023 17:57 UTC