In early 2024, Mauritania signed a €210 million agreement with the EU, pledging to stop migrants leaving the African continent towards Europe via the Atlantic route. Mauritania was not the only African state to be offered a ‘cash for migrant control’ deal: Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Libya also have such deals in place.
Mauritania is the latest to come under scrutiny for alleged abuses against migrants it is trying to keep from leaving towards Europe, with Human Rights Watch releasing a major report on human rights abuses.
Escalation and Crackdown since August
The Mauritanian job market attracted many workers from poorer African states like the Gambia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. But once the EU deal was signed, the government implemented major changes.
In October 2024, an amendment to the 1965 immigration law came into force, allowing any foreign nationals convicted of breaking immigration laws, especially if they are residing in the country illegally, to be “automatically expelled” and banned from reentry for any period ranging from one to 10 years.
As the country began “the fight against illegal immigration,” mass deportations and immigration raids started across the country, especially concentrating on cities attracting migrants.
For example, the port city of Nouadhibou has a massive informal economy, while the twin cities of Rosso offer close border proximity.
Though Mauritania is near Spain’s Canary Islands, most migrants hoped to stay and send a portion of their wages home to their families. Many that did consider taking the sea route now find it far too expensive and dangerous.
How Migrants Experience Arrest
Police raids have focused on neighborhoods where foreign-born populations were higher and work sites most likely employing migrants. They break the doors of private homes and compounds suspected of housing migrants with no residence permits if they do not respond immediately.
Others are unable to work out of fear of being arrested when they leave home.
A forklift operator from Sierra Leone told Al-Jazeera he was arrested on his way to work. He tried calling his boss, but his phone was slapped out of his hand and shattered. He was forced into being deported to Senegal without his possessions.
Most of the interviewees added that they aren’t allowed to return home for their documentation, resulting in their arrest.
A Sierra Leonean mother of two was on her way to get medicine for her daughter suffering from severe diarrhea when she got detained. Despite her protests, she wasn’t allowed to go home to her daughters or notify anyone that they were alone. Finally, she was allowed a phone call to her neighbor, who took her daughters to the facility. Her husband’s boss paid a bribe, which got them released.
A Guinean couple were arrested as they were buying food and deported to Senegal without their 4-year-old daughter. Now, unable to afford travelling back to Mauritania, where their daughter remains, she is under the care of a neighbor.
Bribes or Starvation in Detention
Most report bribing the officers got them released, while others say it kept them fed or got them a phone call.
A worker reported that during the raid of his compound, 11 were handcuffed and then released after they pooled $200 in bribes. The same men were raided several times, with their bosses bribing police for their employees’ release.
Once in detention, experiences vary. One deportee was allowed infrequent toilet breaks, while another said they were forced to share a bucket with 50 other men. While one received food once a day, another didn’t get anything for three days.
A young man said he was given no food, but officers offered to buy him food from local shops. “If the price is 50 [Ouguiya, the local currency], they bring it to you for 100. If you have money, you can survive,” he said.
Some reported being beaten with rubber sticks and being slapped for asking simple questions or requesting that they be allowed to return home for their belongings before deportation.
Some reported being beaten with rubber sticks and being slapped for asking simple questions or requesting that they be allowed to return home for their belongings before deportation.
Messy Deportations
Most deportees end up in Mali or Senegal, and while both governments have protested thousands ending up at their borders, the warnings did not stop or slow Mauritania’s efforts.
From the coast of Nouadhibou, a journey usually begins with migrants being loaded onto buses to detention facilities in the capital, Nouakchott. From here, they are either sent to Gogui, the border with Mali, or Rosso, just across the river from Senegal.
In Rosso, after their fingerprints have been taken, a ferry takes deportees to Senegal, where those with documents can enter. But most are not allowed to return home to collect them after their arrest; these people end up stranded between two countries with no documents to legalize their status.
EU Complicity and Funding
Despite its deal with the European Union, Mohamed Lemine Teyeb, special advisor to the Ministry of Interior, told reporters in late October that Mauritania “will not be a place or alternative place for illegal immigrant people from Europe.
But Mauritania is viewed as an externalized border to the EU, receiving funding for its border security, naval patrols, and detention efforts to tackle smuggler networks.
While Brussels argues the Mauritanian government is now “strengthening human rights safeguards and guarantees,” Human Rights Watch says it isn’t enough, with multiple allegations of rape and torture.
The EU, by continuing funding and cooperation, is seen by many as not only complicit but actively endorsing security crackdowns that violate human rights.
Mauritania could not only show an example to other external EU partners but could also attract migrant workers back into its market, according to Lauren Seibert, a Human Rights Watch researcher.
