About 150 Sudaneseandnbsp;goldandnbsp;minersandnbsp;are being held by Chad forcesin eastern Chad.
“Their conditions are poor. They do not receive enough drinking water and food,” a Sudanese national reported to Radio Dabanga on Sunday.
“The miners were on their way back to Sudan when they lost their way in the desert,” he said. “They were detained near Um Jarab in the area of Kori in Chad near the Libyan border.”
The source explained that the Chad authorities in Kori have given the Sudanese miners 24 hours to evacuate the area. “This prompted many of them to take a lorry to El Tina on the Sudan-Chad border.”
He said that Chad forces are blocking their way, forcing them to pay passage amounts of up to XAF20,000 ($35). “Those who cannot pay have their assets confiscated or are forced to sell them cheaply.”