Mauritania's mineral treasure trove drives its rapid growth

A chronic problem across Africa—and in the Sahel region in particular—has been states' propensity for military coups, often with the involvement of foreign powers, so accelerated economic development and the resulting income level rises are to be welcomed, since they promote political stability. 

Algerian journalist and political analyst Oualid Kebir said that "despite Mauritania's economic and political progress, the country still harbours lingering fears of past military coups," but said it had "shown courage and recognised its own interests". 

Speaking to Al Majalla, he said: "Mauritania is the only North African country to oppose (Algerian) President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's proposal for an 'alternative Maghreb Union without Morocco'—a move that ultimately led to the initiative's failure, as it appeared more focused on sidelining Rabat than fostering true Maghreb unity."

Growing economic cooperation

With growing economic cooperation, Mauritania's relations with Morocco have improved in recent years. This was highlighted by President Mohamed Ould Cheikh AI-Ghazouani's visit to Morocco late last year, where he met King Mohammed VI at the Casablanca Palace. 

Mauritania has said it will participate in Morocco's Atlantic Africa Initiative, which aims to connect landlocked Sahel nations to the Atlantic, enabling them to export raw materials and integrate into global markets. It is also in agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for a 5,600km Atlantic gas pipeline linking Nigeria to Morocco, passing through 13 countries.  This would allow Mauritania to use the pipeline to export its gas to Europe while also integrating into a regional electricity network that serves 500 million people across West Africa and the Mediterranean.

At the end of February, the Mauritanian government announced the establishment of new border crossing points with neighbouring countries to facilitate trade, commodity exchanges, and the movement of individuals and vehicles. 

This falls within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, in which more than 50 countries pledged to create a free trade market. The Samara-Bir Moghrein crossing between Western Sahara (claimed by Morocco) and Mauritania is expected to be officially inaugurated in the coming weeks. 

In addition, a new 93km road is being built within Moroccan territory, linking the city of Samara with the village of Amgala and the commune of Tifariti, in the eastern part of the desert beyond the security barrier. Fatima Saida, president of the Amgala commune, said the crossing was "a trade bridge between Mauritania and Morocco to boost economic development". 

This crossing will be connected to a road leading to Zouérat, an important mining city in eastern Mauritania, which may also allow access to Timbuktu in Mali to the east. Until the late 1950s, this route had been used by trade caravans between North Africa and the Sahel for centuries.

Mauritania's Interior Minister Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine signed a governmental decree on border points with Morocco, including customs checkpoints and commercial crossings. These include the Tmeimichat crossing in Chami province; the Guelb crossing in Zouérat province; the Afdirk, Chegatt, and Twajeel crossings in Afdirk province; and the Ain Ben Tili and Bir Moghrein crossings in Bir Moghrein province.

Several cross-border roads are also under construction, and sources told Al Majalla that the United Arab Emirates is keen to secure developmental projects between Morocco and Mauritania.  

Once a French colony, Mauritania still maintains ties with Paris. For its part, France welcomed an initiative to establish desert roads that could eventually reach the Sahel countries, connecting them to a network of land and rail transport links extending to Moroccan ports on the Atlantic Ocean. 

French documents indicate that the trade route between Timbuktu in northern Mali and the city of Mogador (Essaouira) on the Atlantic Ocean existed for centuries before the arrival of Europeans.

Moroccan French historian Raphaël Dévico said18th and 19th century trade caravans between modern-day Mali and Morocco's coasts "comprised over 1,000 camels laden with gold, ivory, and ostrich feathers," adding that "when the French occupied Algeria in 1830, they disrupted these exchanges to gradually weaken Moroccan ports until they ceased operations in the early 20th century".

Many suitors

It is not just Morocco that is showing an interest in Mauritania, however. In December, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune visited, his first foreign trip since being re-elected in September, and the first by an Algerian president to Mauritania in 37 years.

Tebboune and the Algerian delegation discussed a range of issues, including ways to accelerate the building of an 840km road between Tindouf in Algeria and Zouérat in Mauritania, with Algeria covering 80% of the $600mn construction cost in exchange for control of its operation for the first 10 years. 

Algerian journalist Oualid Kebir, who lives in Morocco, said Algiers was "wary of any rapprochement between Nouakchott and Rabat... It understands that the Mauritanian people have deep ethnic, cultural, and historical ties with the Kingdom, which is why it employs both incentives and pressure to prevent Moroccan trade from expanding into the Sahel." 

Mauritania's economic relations with Algeria have increased over the past three years, with trade jumping from $300mn in 2022 to $414mn in 2023. Yet Algeria's relations with many Sahel countries have become strained, given their conflicting views on the involvement of Russian mercenaries across the region. 

Connecting the region

The broader development is of a land transport network stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Sahel countries in the east, passing through Mauritania in the south. This initiative falls within the framework of the Atlantic Africa Initiative, which Algeria opposes for geopolitical reasons.

Read more: Atlantic Africa: The new economic bloc on the block

Moroccan Trade Minister Omar Hejira told Al Majalla that "the issue of transportation and paved roads is the greatest challenge to accelerating and developing intra-African trade… The faster these logistical obstacles are overcome, the faster development within the continent will progress."

The Oxford Business Group predicts that "Mauritania will play a crucial role as a link, thanks to its geographical location and diverse resources, becoming a gateway to commercial markets within AfCFTA and beyond to the rest of the world". 

The country serves as a geographical bridge between the Maghreb and the Sahel. It also sits between two regional blocs: the Arab Maghreb Union to the north, and ECOWAS to the south. Yet with 20 countries and a combined GDP of $1.5tn, both blocs suffer from deep political divisions.

To the north, along the Mediterranean coast, Algeria has opposed Morocco's territorial claims in the Sahara for the past 50 years. Meanwhile, in the Sahel, successive military coups have caused sharp divisions within ECOWAS, threatening to tear it apart from within.

The Sahel countries' political, economic, social, and security challenges make them vulnerable to terrorism, illegal migration, and international crime. According to the Global Terrorism Index, armed groups in the region killed 6,800 people in 2023. The UN says terrorism cost Africa $119bn from 2007-16. 

Another issue is migration. The International Organisation for Migration puts economic losses due to population displacement at $312.7bn over the past decade, with displacement from the Sahel and the Great Lakes region notably high.

Lifting this region and its people from isolation and promoting local development are among the most effective tools to combat terrorism, by improving living standards. What lies under Mauritanian ground and in Mauritanian waters has a direct impact.