The Mauritanian government assured on May 6 that it was mobilizing all necessary resources to protect its citizens in the border areas with Mali, which have been facing a deterioration in security for several months. The two countries share a vast border stretching over 2,700 kilometers.
Since 2024, tensions have been escalating in the pastoral border areas, fueling concerns about civilian safety and regional stability in the Sahel.
On April 25, a joint offensive by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a movement of Tuareg independence fighters, plunged Mali into chaos. This instability in the Sahel nation is having repercussions on neighboring countries, including Mauritania and Algeria.