NATO has recently shown an increased interest in Mauritania, which was invited to the recent alliance summit in Madrid, demonstrating the interest of the West in west Africa. Spain is leading an initiative for closer cooperation between Mauritania and NATO, to head off threats from the south. The potential for instability in the Sahel region has prompted the alliance to strengthen what it refers to as its “southern wing”.
Over the course of nearly eighteen months, Mauritania has moved from being one of NATO’s partners to becoming the alliance’s “sole partner” in the African Sahel region. In mid-January of 2021, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani visited NATO headquarters in the Belgian capital, Brussels, and held talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, focused on security and defense issues in the Sahel region. NATO officials were keen to highlight that Ghazouani was the first Mauritanian president to visit its headquarters since Mauritania’s independence in 1960, noting that Mauritania had been a “partner country” of the alliance since 1995. This appeared to pave the way for a new phase of cooperation and partnership between Mauritania and NATO.
During the NATO Summit in Madrid last June – to which only two non-NATO countries were invited, Jordan and Mauritania- NATO Assistant Secretary-General in charge of Political Affairs and Security Policy Javier Colomina described Mauritania as the “sole partner” of the alliance in the African Sahel. Colomina explained in an interview with the Mauritanian News Agency, published on July 2nd, that Nouakchott has a major and necessary role in the Sahel region, for two reasons. First, it is NATO’s only partner in the Sahel region, and “the only one that can access some of our tools in a systematic way because it is a partner.” Second, “Mauritania is the only country in the Sahel that controls its lands and borders, and it is a country that enjoys political and security stability.”
There are several geopolitical factors behind NATO’s interest in Mauritanis, the most important of which are:
Stability and leadership role: From NATO’s perspective, Mauritania can be classified a “strategic ally”, given its pivotal role in the Sahel region, and its leadership role in the “group of five” who cooperate in the task of combatting terrorism in the region, namely Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger. Mauritania hosts the headquarters of the group and has succeeded in curbing the spread of armed groups on its own territories, which remain entirely under the control of the state. This is an achievement in view of the region’s complex security conditions.
A pivotal geographic location: By virtue of its location, Mauritania is a link between Africa and Europe. Given the proximity between the Canary Islands and Mauritania, as the African neighbor closest to the Spanish borders after Morocco and Algeria, Spain hoped to bring Mauritania closer to NATO to enhance Spanish security. However, from both a European and a NATO perspective, Mauritania is now looked on to play a more important role. This is due to its long borders with Mali, which is currently strengthening its ties with Russia, NATO’s foremost adversary. NATO perceives that Mauritania can play a role in countering Russian expansion in the region, which comes at the expense of France, the region’s traditional ally.
At its summit in Madrid, NATO announced its intention to provide an aid package to Mauritania, without disclosing its size or details. The NATO Secretary-General stated that this aid aims to support Mauritania’s efforts in dealing with border security, illegal immigration, and terrorism. At a press conference after the summit, Stoltenberg explained that the aid package is “to support building the defense capabilities of Mauritania.” The upgrade in relations build on a history of cooperation. Mauritania joined the Mediterranean Dialogue initiative in 1994, which presented a framework for practical cooperation to enhance security and stability in the Sahel region, between NATO and some Mediterranean countries, in addition to Mauritania. Since 2010, the level of cooperation in the areas of combating terrorism and illegal immigration advanced, as NATO provided funds to increase Mauritania’s military capabilities, and train and develop the armed forces.
International rivalry and NATO’s “New Strategic Concept”
It is clear that the aid to Mauritania that NATO recently announced falls within the framework of the alliance’s “New Strategic Concept”, which emphasizes the importance of the Sahel region as an arena of competition for major world powers.
Russian-Western Rivalry in the Sahel: The raging conflict between Russia and the West, sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, casts a shadow over the African Sahel region. Russia has expanded its influence in Mali, whose military leaders have chosen cooperation with Russia over longstanding military agreements with its traditional ally, France. Russia’s presence and military aid to Mali has raised concerns in NATO and Europe, prompting the alliance to strengthen what it called the southern wing. The presence of the Wagner Group in Mali has been of special concern. The group was called upon by the Malian government to provide security against Islamist militant groups. This appears to have motivated NATO to invite Mauritania to attend the summit, which suggests the alliance envisions a role for Mauritania in limiting Russian influence in the region, although this has not been announced yet.
Increasing Chinese influence in Africa: Growing Chinese influence, especially in the economic field, is a source of inconvenience to NATO countries. Following the summit, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg made it clear that member states had addressed the issue of Russia and China’s pursuit of political, economic, and military influence on the southern flank NATO countries. One of the items discussed during the summit was related to China’s growing military influence in the Pacific and beyond. US General Stephen J. Townsend, the head of the US Africa Command, warned NATO countries of China’s intentions to build a naval base in Africa on the Atlantic coast, saying, “Beijing has the greatest attraction towards establishing a base in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea”. If realized, China will have a base on Africa’s west coast, as well as on the east coast in Djibouti.
Extremist militant activity in the region: Spain is at the forefront of NATO countries that demanded the alliance confront instability and the presence of militant Islamist movements in the Sahel region. Spain is concerned that “terrorist groups can take advantage of the instability in the region, especially in Mali after the withdrawal of French forces.” As a gateway to Europe from the south, Spanish borders would be the first t be affected.
It is of note that Mauritania’s increasing geostrategic importance for NATO coincides with its growing importance as a Natural Gas producer and exporter. The country recently announced it had concluded preparations for the operation of the Torto Ahmeim Project, which extends in both Mauritania and Senegal. Production from this project is scheduled to begin in 2023 and would allow Mauritania to play a role in supplying Europe’s needs of Natural Gas. This was highlighted by Mauritanian Oil Minister Abdessalam Ould Salah at the African Energy Forum in Brussels, June 21st-23rd. He remarked that Europe’s move away from Russian gas provides “a ready and profitable market” for the project, which will be “capable of producing 2.5 million tons per year, putting Mauritania and Senegal on the list of natural gas producing countries.”