On a video recorded in early March at an unknown location in Mauritania, a young female who claims to be from Côte d'Ivoire, sits on the ground with the kid in her arms, talks to the camera and mourns her suffering. Her husband and another relatives were taken from the home in the mediate of the night and arrested. She herself, freshly after the C-section operation, can barely decision and eat.
5 million people live in this usually unremarked northwestern African country, which is the size of Spain and Germany together, but is sparsely populated, and it is truly inflamed erstwhile it comes to combating migration. In fresh months, Mauritania has become the most crucial departure point on the way to the Canary Islands — and now the government in Nawakshut is dealing with this problem: foreigners, whether they want to Illegal entry into the EUor not, they are systematically caught and exported from the country. mostly Senegal, but besides Mali.
"I didn't really know it was the police"
One raid follows another — residential areas, construction sites, bus stations. People affected — like a young female with a kid on tape asking for help, saying that “people from Côte d’Ivoire are going through hell in Mauritania” — are reporting this on social media, and that the authorities have been confirmed by Welt by European safety circles. It is not clear how many people have been deported since early March; the government of Mauritania has not responded to Welt's request for mass deportations.
A government spokesperson announced in late March that over 120 000 foreigners simply did not renew their residence permits issued in 2022. Deportations were only ‘routine operations’. Many people who are afraid disagree: they say that there is simply no legal way to extend visas.
Amadou Diagne, a Senegalese construction individual who has been surviving in Mauritania for years, spoke to Welt on the telephone and reported on people who “work with dignity and do not plan to go to Europe” but are arrested anyway. “Everyone comes with a visa or money, but there is not a single office where you can renew your documents. And now they're arresting people on the basis of them, he says.
The case of a friend, a bricklayer, is typical, says Diagne: “He was arrested at 8:00 a.m. on his way to work and was transported for hours from 1 police station to another. Late in the evening, he was loaded on the MP's bus along with over a 100 another people and taken to the border. The deportees included citizens of Guinea, Mali, Gambia, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire. Others, like Malian Mohamed Magassa, claim to have been intercepted in civilian taxis by unknown men. “I didn’t even realize it was police officers,” said Magassa.
In a video of March 25, Senegalese said that he had received a residence licence just 2 weeks earlier, valid for 3 months: “However, I was deported,” he says. Others study the demolition of their tiny businesses in which they have previously invested all their assets.
Stringer / PAPpresident of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at a press conference at the EU-Central Asia Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on 4 April 2025 (illustration picture)
EU agreement
Many migrants fishy that Nawakshut acts on behalf of the EU and trust on the migration agreement of early 2024., which provides for European financial assistance — EUR 210 million in the first phase — in exchange for closer border controls and repatriations.
Joint investigations on smuggling networks and return of asylum seekers rejected in the EU were besides agreed. The EU believes that the fight against illegal migration should be carried out "with respect for the rights and dignity" of those affected.
"The deficiency of safety and economical prospects in the region prompts many people to migrate. This frequently leads them to Mauritania first," said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Cooperation with Mauritania is peculiarly crucial for Spain: the number of people arriving by boat to the Canary Islands has increased enormously in fresh years, and the number of people arriving illegally has never been as large as in 2024 (about 48,000).
Madrid has maintained a permanent presence of safety services in Mauritania since the alleged "cayuco crisis" in 2006, erstwhile tens of thousands of people went to the Canary Islands. According to the Ministry of Interior, 43 police officers of the National Police and 34 members of the Guardia civilian are presently stationed in Navakszuta and the port city of Nawazibu, 1 of the most crucial metastatic sites for migrants in North Africa.
They are active in joint patrols with local officials, training Mauritanian safety forces, intelligence activities and monitoring migration routes. The Spanish Coast defender boats, field vehicles, chopper and aircraft were besides deployed.
No consequence
The situation in the country deteriorated at the end of March erstwhile it was reported dead. Young Senegalese was stabbed by six men on the street in Nawakszuta. There was tension at the border with Mali in early March. In Gogui, a group of migrants to be deported attacked the police station and set fire to it.
Nawakszutu's actions caused a stir in neighbouring countries. In Bamako, the Malian abroad Minister Moussa Ag Attacker condemned repatriation as “a threatening violation of global rules”. In Dakar, Senegalese abroad Minister Jacine Fall described the deportations in Parliament as “unacceptable”. Consequences of criticism?
Even erstwhile high-ranking delegations from Senegal, Mali and Gambia — including abroad ministers, parliamentarians and diplomats — went to Navakszut 2 weeks ago, the situation remained unchanged; deportations continued without warning.
And so the office of the global Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the Senegalese border town of Rosso became a refuge for deportees who do not know what to do — people from Gambia, Cameroon, Guinea and Mali. Many of them have no money to go home.
However, it is unclear to what degree this initiative limits illegal migration to the Canary Islands. The fact is that the number of arrivals continues to increase. Only in the first 4th of 2025 did the Spanish authorities registry more than 12,000 people — twice as many as in the same period last year.
Most boats come from Mauritanian beaches.
