Mamoudou Condé and Toumboutou Condé, aged 4 and 3 respectively, all from the same family, had been missing for a month leaving their relatives in unbearable anguish. Unfortunately, their lifeless bodies were found this Monday in a gold mine in the district of Oudiala in the Mandiana urban commune.

The scene of the discovery was most macabre, with the two children in a state of decomposition, deeply embeded in the mine mud. This tragedy caused a deep consternation among the local population who mourn the loss of these innocent young lives.

The circumstances surrounding the disapearance and death of the Condé children remain unclear.  Ousmane Diallo, the head of district tells how the dead bodies were found: "We had been looking for these children for a long time. Their parents went up to neighboring Mali looking for them. But it is this Monday that the administrators of the mine, the Tomboloma, discovered the dead bodies while they were clearing the mine to prevent animals or humans to fall therein. The bodies were in a state of decomposition, and they were soon burried there in the presence of the authorities", he declared.

Contacted by phone, the prefectoral director for the promotion of women, children and vulnerable persons expressed her anger at this news that has sent a chockwave among the population. Better still, she took the opportunity to invite parents who work in the artisanal mine fields to reinforce safety measures to pevent such tragedies in the future. "It is really sad to see children lose their lives in such a shoking way. In Mandiana here, women who do artisanal gold mining, always go with their children, whom they leave on their own while fetching for gold. Sometimes, children can spend several hours unattended, and this is really deplorable. Women must know we cannot keep discovering dead bodies, especially children each time in the mines. We are going to take measures in order to prevent such tragedies in Mandiana", said Tenin Koulibaly.

Local authorities, in collaboration with the judicial authorities have initiated a thorough enquiry to determine the authors of this heinous acte and circumtances that led to this trategy .

This tragedy shed light on the dangers that children face in mining areas. Gold mines often informally exploited can represent extremely dangerous environments for under aged children due to precarious working conditions and risks linked to mine earth collapsing.