Mauritania turns to Morocco amid Polisario incursions and Mali tensions

High-level exchanges between Mauritania and Morocco are gaining momentum. After receiving Morocco’s Minister Delegate for Investment, Karim Zidane, in Nouakchott on Thursday, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani sent his foreign minister to Rabat the following day with a message for King Mohammed VI. The message was handed to his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.

«This meeting was an opportunity for the minister to reaffirm the depth of Moroccan-Mauritanian relations. The two sides also reviewed the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation, as well as ways to strengthen coordination between the two countries», Morocco’s Foreign Ministry said.

Polisario and Mali

Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug’s visit comes at a sensitive time for Mauritania, which has been working for several months to tighten security along its borders with Algeria. Nouakchott is particularly seeking to end repeated incursions into its territory by armed Polisario elements, who attempt to launch projectiles at Moroccan positions west of the Sand Wall built by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR).

Last week, the Mauritanian army evacuated Sahrawi gold prospectors from the buffer zone. The operation was immediately followed by a meeting in Tindouf between Algerian and Mauritanian military officials, focused on the need to «secure the borders».

Beyond security concerns, Nouakchott also sees Morocco as a potential mediator in its current crisis with Mali. On Thursday, Mauritania’s foreign minister summoned Mali’s ambassador in Nouakchott to protest against a demonstration held the previous day outside the Mauritanian embassy in Bamako, during which calls for violence were made against Mauritanians living in Mali.

Thanks to its close ties with both capitals, Rabat could help defuse the tensions. The visit by Mauritania’s top diplomat also coincided with the arrival in Rabat, the same day, of Mali’s Minister of Energy and Water, Tiemoko Traoré. He was received by Morocco’s Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka. According to an official Moroccan statement, the talks focused «on ways to strengthen bilateral relations in managing water-related challenges and to benefit from Morocco’s experience in this field».

Presidency of the International Organization of La Francophonie

Beyond security issues and tensions with Mali, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug’s trip also comes amid an important diplomatic push by Mauritania, which hopes to lead the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).

With the 20th Francophonie Summit scheduled to take place from November 14 to 16, 2026, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nouakchott is seeking support for its candidate, Coumba Bâ, 56, currently an adviser to President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, to head the OIF.

In this context, Morocco’s backing is strategically important for Mauritania. Rabat had already supported Sidi Ould Tah’s candidacy for the presidency of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in May 2025. That bid had also led Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug to visit the Moroccan capital in March 2025.

On the same issue, Rwandan President Paul Kagame sent a message to King Mohammed VI on Wednesday, seeking his support for the candidacy of his former foreign minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, who is running for a third term at the head of the OIF.