Algeria Enters Mauritania Through the Door, Morocco Exits Through the Window

Algeria is storming in through the door, and the Kingdom of Morocco exits through the window. This is the description of the developments of Algerian-Mauritanian relations, which were marked by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s visit to the land of Chinguetti last week and his meeting with his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, in the capital, Nouakchott.

Since he arrived at El Mouradia Palace, President Tebboune has made strengthening relations with the southwestern neighbour, Mauritania, a goal of his project. The visits led by the Mauritanian President, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, have also multiplied, reaching four visits, in just four years, which is considered a strong indicator of this transformation, which included various dimensions and the economic dimension was the locomotive.

While the relationship is strengthening on the Algiers-Nouakchott axis, the contraction seems to be the master of the situation on the Nouakchott-Rabat relations, due to many considerations, including political and historical, which negatively affected the economic dimension, marked by the economic sanctions imposed by Mauritania on goods coming from the Kingdom of Morocco, which were represented, as is known, in raising customs duties, some of which exceeded 400% at the beginning of this year.

This incident has caused a silent diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Nouakchott, although the position of the Moroccan official authorities is reserved as long as the decision of the Mauritanian authorities is sovereign, the exporters expressed their strong dissatisfaction with the decision, and many truck drivers transporting goods on both sides suspended their activities, and there were cases of scarcity in some goods in the Mauritanian markets, and Algeria did not hesitate to fill the void by transporting shipments of some goods.

The latest chapter in this context was the signing of a protocol agreement to launch a maritime line between the ports of Agadir and the Senegalese capital Dakar, to transport Moroccan goods directly to Senegal without passing through Mauritanian territory, and to facilitate trade between Morocco and West African countries by reducing transportation costs and increasing the efficiency of transporting goods and trucks, according to the Maghreb Arab Press Agency.

The signing of the opening of this sea route to avoid passing through Mauritanian territory came to reduce the costs of transportation through the occupied Guerguerat desert crossing, towards Mauritania, which has repeatedly raised customs duties on Moroccan goods and additional costs on Moroccan exporters, according to Moroccan media reports.

While Moroccan exporters are looking for other outlets to West African countries away from Mauritania, construction is currently underway on a key part of the road linking the city of Zouerate in Mauritania to Tindouf in Algeria, a trade route that extends for approximately 840 kilometres and connects the two countries. The project provides an easy exchange of goods between the two countries and reflects the significant improvement in relations between the two countries. It will also help Mauritanians transport iron ore from the Zouerate region.

The Algerian authorities, through the Algerian Agency for International Cooperation for Solidarity and Development, have undertaken to finance and implement the project, with the planned road to be operated under a 10-year concession contract.

Algerian companies are also working on completing this project, while the Mauritanian side is responsible for providing the necessary construction materials for the Mauritanian part of the road, under the memorandum of understanding signed between the presidents of the two countries.