A heated diplomatic confrontation in Dakar last July exposed the complexities of Mauritania’s stance on the Western Sahara conflict. Between cautiously maintaining neutrality, safeguarding economic interests, and preserving national sovereignty, Nouakchott walks a tightrope to avoid alienating Morocco.
During a Moroccan embassy event in Senegal’s capital to launch a book, former Senegalese foreign minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio sparked controversy by suggesting Morocco was only “a few kilometers” from Senegal—a veiled reference to pre-colonial borders. The remark, interpreted as historical revisionism by Mauritania, triggered an immediate response from Mauritanian diplomat Mohamed Ould Abdellahi Ould Ethmane, who abruptly halted the speech and accused Gadio of attempting to erase Mauritania’s very existence.
The Moroccan ambassador, Hassan Naciri, quickly stepped in to calm tensions, but the incident revealed the fragile equilibrium of Mauritania’s foreign policy. It highlighted how Nouakchott must simultaneously justify its presence at events celebrating Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara while insisting on strict neutrality in a decades-old territorial dispute.
Former Mauritanian foreign minister Isselmou Ahmed Izidbih went further, calling for Gadio to be declared persona non grata in Mauritania’s airspace, territorial waters, and on its soil. In a public statement, he declared, “As a Mauritanian citizen, I urge that Cheikh Tidiane Gadio be barred from Mauritania’s air, sea, and land.”
Nouakchott’s diplomatic tightrope
This incident underscores Mauritania’s carefully crafted dual approach. While officially recognizing the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) since 1984 and maintaining regular communication with the Polisario Front, Mauritania stops short of granting the SADR full diplomatic status. Such a move could provoke Morocco, which views any recognition of the SADR as a declaration of war.
By attending official Moroccan commemorations, Mauritania signals respect to its northern neighbor—so long as Rabat does not revive historical claims that once included Mauritanian territory under the concept of a “Greater Morocco.”
Guerguerat: the economic lifeline
Beyond symbolic gestures, Mauritania’s stance is heavily influenced by economic pragmatism. The Guerguerat border crossing, straddling Western Sahara and Mauritanian territory, has become a vital economic artery linking Morocco to West Africa.
Daily, hundreds of Moroccan trucks pass through Guerguerat, supplying food and manufactured goods to markets in Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali. Blocking this trade would destabilize Nouakchott’s economy and supply chains. By keeping the border open, Mauritania tacitly accepts Morocco’s operational control over the area—without formally endorsing it.
Survival through strategic ambiguity
To regional analysts, Mauritania’s “both at once” policy is not indecision but a calculated survival strategy. Sandwiched between an economically assertive Morocco and a geopolitically assertive Algeria, Nouakchott cannot afford to take sides without risking economic retaliation or border instability.
The clash triggered by Gadio’s remarks serves as a reminder: Mauritania’s neutrality, though acrobatic, remains highly sensitive. Whenever its national identity or territorial integrity appears threatened by neighboring ambitions, Nouakchott swiftly reasserts itself as the indispensable—and sovereign—pillar of Maghreb stability.
