Approximately 28,000 people were rounded up and deported from Mauritania in the first half of 2025, rights groups say. The mass operations followed an agreement with the European Union and have sharply reduced departures to Europe, rights monitors and officials say. Many were sent overland to Mali and Senegal, while UN experts and human-rights organisations warn the sweeps may breach refugee protections and that administrative delays are narrowing access to legal stays. The roundups are also reshaping migrant routes and local labour markets in Nouakchott.

Sweeps follow an EU deal

Following an EU deal, Mauritanian authorities intensified roundups of people they identified as migrants and carried out deportations to neighbouring Mali and Senegal, officials and rights groups said. The drives began in earnest after 2023 arrivals rose along West African routes, and by 2025 media reports and rights groups described hundreds of expulsions and mass removals.

Human Rights Watch, quoting government figures, said 28,000 people were "expelled" in the first six months of 2025. That tally has been circulated by rights monitors and local outlets as an indicator of the scale of the operations. Authorities in Nouakchott have maintained they target undocumented migrants. Public statements from police have said the aim is to enforce immigration rules and curb irregular departures bound for Europe.

Lives in hiding in Nouakchott

Many migrants describe a sudden shift from relative openness to fear. "Now, we can’t go out," said Francina, a 23-year-old from the Republic of Congo who has been living in Nouakchott since 2023. She told reporters she found work in hospitality when she arrived, but that police in white buses began detaining people they thought were migrants and deporting them without notice.

Reported tactics and everyday effects include:

  • Detentions and alleged demands for cash to secure release (Francina said officers demanded 25,000 Mauritanian ouguiya each time she was detained).
  • People avoiding daytime routines: staying in low-light apartments, avoiding markets and public transport, and relying on informal networks for food.
  • Cases of people with expired or valid permits being removed: Aicha, a Sierra Leonean woman, said she was seized at a market despite holding a legal stay permit and was driven to the Senegal border after officers confiscated her phone.

Legal worries from rights monitors

United Nations experts and rights organisations have raised alarms about the legality of the roundups and expulsions. They say forced deportations without proper review can violate international refugee protections and the rights of people with legitimate claims to stay. Several groups have also accused authorities of slowing or obstructing administrative processes that provide legal status, effectively narrowing the window of people eligible to remain.

Monitors report cases where deported people could not take personal belongings, and where arrests appear to target people who "look like" migrants rather than those proven to be undocumented. Mauritanian officials have defended the operations as immigration enforcement, but rights monitors emphasise the need for individual assessments before deportation.

Political and economic fallout

The campaign has consequences beyond the immediate humanitarian impact. Local markets and informal services in Nouakchott employ many migrants in hospitality, retail and domestic work. When those workers vanish from the streets, households lose income and small businesses see demand drop. Remittance flows to West African families are also affected.

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Human Rights Watch, citing government figures, said about 28,000 people were expelled in the first six months of 2025.

This article was created with AI assistance.