Analysis Africa

Mauritania in Africa, Its Role, Weight and Alliances

By Amina Diarra · November 1, 2026 · 9 min read

MAURITANIA · AFRICA

Key Facts

People 5.32 million in 2025, 39th among Africa’s 54 countries, and about 2.8% more than in 2024.
Size 1,030,700 square kilometres, the 11th largest African country by surface area.
Economy About US$11.7 billion in 2025, or US$2,198 per person, 23rd of 52 African economies with data.
African Union A member since 25 May 1963; its presidents chaired the African Union in 2014 and again from February 2024 to February 2025.
Free trade Signed the African Continental Free Trade Area on 21 March 2018 and deposited its ratification on 11 February 2019.
Leaders President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani and Prime Minister El Moctar Ould Djay, both in office in October 2026.
New post On 27 August 2026 a Mauritanian, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, was elected secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Mauritania’s place on the African continent is that of a desert republic linking Arab North Africa with the Sahel and West Africa. This guide explains how much Mauritania counts in continental affairs, which clubs it belongs to and who its friends are.

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The stone minaret and sand-filled courtyard of the old mosque at Chinguetti in the Mauritanian desert — The old mosque at Chinguetti, a desert town in Mauritania’s north. File photo. (Photo: Mohamed Natti, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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Mauritania in Africa at a Glance

Mauritania is a desert republic on Africa’s Atlantic coast. Senegal lies to the south, Mali to the east and Algeria to the north-east, with disputed Western Sahara to the north.

The African Union groups Mauritania with Northern Africa, yet its trade and security links also run south into the Sahel. The presidency’s own website calls the country a bridge between Africa and the Arab world.

African Union (AU): the continental club of African states that sets common positions on trade, security and politics.
Arab Maghreb Union (UMA): a five-nation bloc of North African states, founded in 1989, with its secretariat in Rabat.
ECOWAS: the Economic Community of West African States, a 12-nation bloc based in Abuja, Nigeria.
AfCFTA: the African Continental Free Trade Area, a pact to cut tariffs between African countries.
OIC: the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a group of Muslim-majority states.

Weight in People, Land and Money

Mauritania had 5,315,065 people in 2025, according to World Bank data, which puts it 39th among the 54 African countries with figures. That is about 2.8% more than the 5,169,395 of 2024.

In land area it is a giant, covering 1,030,700 square kilometres, the 11th largest surface on the continent. That works out to only about five people per square kilometre, because most of the country is Sahara desert.

The World Bank puts Mauritania’s output at US$11.68 billion in 2025, up from US$10.88 billion in 2024. That ranks it 39th of 52 African economies with data, just behind Togo and just ahead of Sierra Leone.

Output per person was US$2,198, which places Mauritania 23rd of 52 and above Senegal, Mali and Niger. On 24 September 2026 the president told residents of Akjoujt, a copper-mining town, that the government is working to develop mining.

He added that the operator of the Akjoujt copper mine had its contract renewed about a year earlier. Our budget report covers the state finances, and our mining story covers a new stake in a mine.

Aerial view of Nouakchott with a palm grove at the centre and the city stretching to the horizon — Aerial view of Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital, with a palm grove at the centre. File photo, 2017. (Photo: Laminesall96, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

How Mauritania Compares With Its Peers

Next door, Senegal has 18.9 million people and an economy of US$37.0 billion, while Mali has 25.2 million people and US$30.1 billion. Niger has 27.9 million people but only US$21.6 billion, which leaves it far poorer per head than Mauritania.

To the north, Morocco has 38.4 million people and US$182.4 billion, and Algeria has 47.4 million people and US$287.0 billion. By economic size, Mauritania’s closest continental peers are Togo, Equatorial Guinea and Somalia, not its larger Maghreb neighbours.

Mauritania: 5.3 million people, US$11.7 billion, US$2,198 per person.
Senegal: 18.9 million people, US$37.0 billion, US$1,955 per person.
Mali: 25.2 million people, US$30.1 billion, US$1,193 per person.
Niger: 27.9 million people, US$21.6 billion, US$775 per person.
Morocco: 38.4 million people, US$182.4 billion, US$4,672 per person.
Algeria: 47.4 million people, US$287.0 billion, US$6,051 per person.

A Seat at the African Union Table

The African Union’s member table lists Mauritania as a member since 25 May 1963, the Organisation of African Unity’s founding date. Mauritanian presidents have chaired the Union twice.

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz held the chair from January 2014 to January 2015. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani held it from February 2024 to February 2025.

The chair rotates every year and gives a small country a platform at every continental summit. During the 2014 to 2015 term, the presidency’s website says, Mauritania helped complete the Union’s common position on the post-2015 development agenda.

At the United Nations, Mauritania won a seat on the Human Rights Council for 2020 to 2022, with 172 of 183 votes. The same page lists the Arab League, the 5+5 Dialogue group, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and La Francophonie.

People load bags and goods onto a long freight train beside the track at Choum in northern Mauritania — A freight train and travellers loading goods at Choum, northern Mauritania. File photo. (Photo: Ben Kawam, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Regional Blocs and the Free Trade Area

The African Union recognises eight regional blocs as the building blocks of a planned continental common market. Mauritania belongs to the Arab Maghreb Union, whose treaty five states signed in Marrakech on 17 February 1989.

Nouakchott hosted that bloc’s summit on 10 and 11 November 1992. The last summit on the bloc’s own record was in Tunis on 2 and 3 April 1994.

ECOWAS lists 12 member states, and Mauritania is not among them. The presidency’s website nonetheless calls Mauritania an associate member of the bloc.

The mix matters for Mauritania’s role on the continent: it is a Maghreb state on paper and a Sahel state in practice. That split lets Nouakchott talk to both North Africa and West Africa without belonging fully to either.

Signed the African Continental Free Trade Area on 21 March 2018.
Ratified it on 31 January 2019 and deposited the papers on 11 February 2019, says the African Union’s status list of 22 May 2026.
Also a member of the Senegal River Development Organisation, according to the presidency’s website.

Alliances and Partners in 2026

Mauritania keeps several doors open at once on the continent and beyond. President Ghazouani left Nouakchott overnight on 26 to 27 October 2026 for Moscow and the third Russia-Africa summit.

On Wednesday 28 October he joined the plenary session of the Russian-African forum, then attended the Kremlin dinner. Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug and Justice Minister Mohamed Ould Soueidatt travelled with him.

On Saturday 31 October 2026 he joined the Dakar 2026 summit on sport and sustainable development. He also attended the opening of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar and returned to Nouakchott that night.

Mauritania also has a line to Washington, since Ghazouani has met US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. The photo below shows the two men seated together.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation unanimously elected the Mauritanian Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as secretary general on Thursday 27 August 2026. The vote took place at a ministers’ meeting in Jeddah, and Ghazouani called it an important diplomatic success.

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani seated beside US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office — President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani of Mauritania, left, with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. File photo. (Photo: The White House, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Energy, Senegal and Refugees

Kosmos Energy, an offshore energy firm in Mauritania and Senegal, sent a delegation to the palace on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Its chief executive, Andrew Inglis, led the group and was received by Ghazouani.

Senegal’s president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, held talks with Ghazouani at Nouakchott airport on Thursday 17 September 2026. He was on a stopover from Abu Dhabi on his way home.

Our report on the prime minister’s reappointment shows how politics in Nouakchott has moved this autumn. The prime minister, El Moctar Ould Djay, was named by presidential decree on Friday 9 October 2026.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, counted 190,815 registered refugees and asylum seekers in Mauritania on 30 September 2026. Of these, 178,341 live in Hodh Chargui, a south-eastern region on the border with Mali.

Another 12,064 are registered in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, and UNHCR puts the real total at about 305,000. Hosting that many people is a big task for a country of 5.3 million.

Our guide to Mauritania and its neighbours covers the country’s frontiers one by one. It is the best place to read next.

What It Means for US Readers

Mauritania matters to Americans because it sits where North Africa, the Sahel and the Atlantic meet. Its president has been received in the Oval Office, and an offshore energy company works in its waters.

It lies next to Mali, so its stability matters for the western Sahel. A Mauritania continent role also means a vote and a voice at the African Union.

For investors, the economy is small but growing, with mining, offshore energy and a continental free-trade pact. Read the wider picture on our Mauritania page.

What Is Not Known

The Arab Maghreb Union’s own history lists its last summit in April 1994, and no new date is known. The start date of the Mauritanian secretary general at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is also open.

How long Mauritania will host its refugees depends on the fighting across the border, and UNHCR’s estimate of 305,000 may move. Whether Nouakchott seeks a bigger role in ECOWAS beyond associate status is also open.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is Mauritania compared with the rest of Africa?

Mauritania covers 1,030,700 square kilometres, the 11th largest surface in Africa. Its 5.3 million people rank 39th among 54 African countries.

Is Mauritania in North Africa or West Africa?

The African Union lists Mauritania as a Northern African member, and it belongs to the Arab Maghreb Union. It also borders Senegal and Mali, so its ties run into West Africa.

Is Mauritania a member of ECOWAS?

No. ECOWAS lists 12 member states and Mauritania is not one of them, although the presidency’s website calls it an associate member.

Has Mauritania led the African Union?

Yes, twice. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz chaired it from January 2014 to January 2015, and Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani from February 2024 to February 2025.

Has Mauritania joined the African Continental Free Trade Area?

Yes. It signed on 21 March 2018, ratified on 31 January 2019 and deposited its papers on 11 February 2019.

Who are Mauritania’s main partners in 2026?

It works with Russia, which hosted the October summit, with Senegal, and with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Its president has also been received by US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

The Big Picture

Africa: The New Scramble — why the world’s powers are competing for the continent

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief