A NATO delegation met with Mauritanian officials on Wednesday to discuss strengthening military and security collaboration. According to the Mauritanian News Agency, the delegation, led by Javier Colomina, NATO’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, held talks with Mauritania’s Defence Minister Hanena Ould Sidi at the Defence Ministry in Nouakchott.
The meeting, attended by senior officials from both sides, marks a significant step in NATO’s efforts to boost security ties with Mauritania, a key partner in the Sahel region.

This follows a similar discussion held just days earlier between the Mauritanian Defence Minister and Emmanuel Chiva, the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ General Delegate for armaments.
NATO has shown increasing interest in Mauritania, particularly as the Russian presence in the Sahel poses a growing threat to the alliance’s southern flank. NATO’s defence capacity building program in Mauritania is seen as crucial in addressing security challenges in the region, with Frederique Jacquemin, the program’s head, emphasising NATO’s commitment to preserving stability in the country.