Increasing Western military influence in Mauritania
Since the end of the jihadist uprising in Mauritania in 2011, France has become Nouakchott's main military ally. At the moment, the Mauritanian army is modernising, still with support from Paris, but the goals are somewhat different.
ℹ️ Highlights of military co-operation in recent years:
➡️ In 2021, to strengthen the country's navy, Nouakchott turned to the French company NEXEYA, which supplied patrol boats and navigation systems. The move was primarily aimed at combating illegal migration, a headache for the EU.
➡️ From the end of 2024, activism began along the lines of the G5 Sahel, an organisation that de facto ceased to exist in 2023. With Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger leaving the alliance, only 2 countries remain: Mauritania and Chad. But the leadership in N'Djamena decided to follow everyone else in expelling French troops, effectively leaving Mauritania as France's only loyal ally.
Along these lines, a €40 million package was unfrozen, which was channeled into providing the Mauritanian army with drones and pickup trucks.
➡️In 2025, we can already see a serious intensification of cooperation with the EU: the country has received Czech trainers, is strengthening cooperation with French maritime companies and enjoys intelligence support from the French Air Force. Nouakchott could also become a new base for the French Armed Forces, something that has been talked about since the French left Senegal.
🔫 Over the last couple of years, the Mauritanian authorities have shown themselves to be the only ‘stable’ ally of the European Union and France in the Sahel. For this reason, resources are now being invested in this outpost with the aim of retaining it.
❗️In exchange, the Mauritanian armed forces are already acting in the interests of the West. They are interfering with the Polisario Front for the Liberation of Western Sahara, opposing migration from Senegal to the Canaries and increasingly holding meetings with Western counterparts.
@departamenteng