Source : Sahel weather July & august 2024 

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President Ghazouani's re-election came as no surprise to a dispersed opposition. While popular protests to reject the election results continued, the African Union Commission's July 02 communiqué congratulating outgoing President Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani on his re-election, testified to the "international" validation of the presidential results by the African Union. Among the stakes of this election, the presidency of the African Union was a major one. The Mauritanian president, who is standing for re-election in his own country, and who holds the post of chairman of the African Union, would, if defeated, have led to an upheaval at the head of this African organization.

As observers feared, political violence broke out in several towns, including Kaédi, Rosso Zoueirat and Boghé, all opposition strongholds.  This followed a call for peaceful demonstrations and rallies by the main opposition figure, Biram Dah Abeid, who rejected the results of the presidential election, accusing the authorities and the Electoral Commission of corruption, at a press briefing on July 02. The post-election violence resulted in the death of three individuals, several injuries and numerous arrests. Nevertheless, in a press release dated July 09, the Mauritanian Ministry of the Interior assured that all national demonstrators involved in the post-election violence had been released, and that foreigners had been detained "pending completion of the applicable legal procedures".

Following the re-investiture of President Ghazouani, the appointment of Mokhtar Ould Diay as Prime Minister of the new government was announced on August 2, for this former minister in charge of the presidential cabinet and campaign coordinator for the 2023 legislative elections. This appointment is also seen as a "break with the previous administration". An expert in public finance, the new Prime Minister is expected to focus on the far-reaching economic reforms to be undertaken. To achieve this and meet the many challenges, the formation of the government on August 06will be based on the skills, expertise and experience of the twenty-nine ministers appointed, not without the promotion of young people.

The state of health of the former President, Mouhamed Ould Abdel Aziz, is considered critical by his lawyers. They denounce the "complete isolation" of their client, who is being held in undignified conditions. In addition, the request for release submitted by the former President's lawyers on health grounds was rejected. At a press conference held on August 17, Me Clédor Sène and his colleagues deplored the silence of the international community and human rights NGOs.

On August 16, the ruling INSAF party elected its new Chairman at an extraordinary session. Sid Ahmed Ould Mohamed succeeds Melaïnine Ould Eyih. A former housing minister, he believes that one of the most urgent priorities is "the construction of a state governed by the rule of law and effective institutions".

Migration continues to pose real problems for the Islamic Republic. Indeed, the fight against illegal migration at sea remains a major concern for European countries, and a central issue in international relations. This is the rationale behind the Spanish Prime Minister's African tour, which included stops in Mauritania, Gambia and Senegal. Pédro Sànchez and his government are calling on their partners to do more to limit the number of people leaving the country. Mauritania has become the main transit point for would-be immigrants to Europe. According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, the number of arrivals in Spain, by sea and air, is 31155 migrants up to mid-August 2024, an increase of 66% compared to the same period last year. The CRIDEM article of August 06 also tells us that "this year, 13,000 migrants embarked from the Mauritanian coast towards the Canary Islands". The memorandum signed by the two countries on August 28, as part of the visit by the Spanish Prime Minister, aims to regulate the migratory phenomenon by providing a framework for cooperation on migration issues of common interest.