Grande-Marlaska thanks Mauritania for its "excellent cooperation" in security matters and in the fight against human trafficking mafias

The Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has received Mauritania's Minister for Home Affairs, Promotion of Decentralisation and Local Development, Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine, in Madrid, and thanked him for his country's "excellent cooperation" in security matters and in the fight against human trafficking mafias.

"Mauritania is a partner and friend with which there are historical ties, very close neighbourly relations and excellent cooperation in migration and security matters", asserted Grande-Marlaska, who referred to the intensification of visits and high-level trips over the last three years.

In 2025, Mauritanian security forces have helped intercept almost 3,500 people, adding to the over 10,000 people prevented during 2024, figures that, in the minister's words, "demonstrate this country's strong commitment" to addressing the challenge of irregular migration and human trafficking, "thus helping to prevent deaths at sea".

In this vein, during the meeting, the Minister for Home Affairs shared the latest statistics on irregular arrivals to the Canary Islands, updated on 15 October, which confirm a 59% decrease compared to the same period in 2024, and which reflect a 36% reduction in Spain as a whole.

Mauritania plays an "essential role in regional migration management", explained the minister, who pledged to his counterpart to "continue to advocate cooperation with Mauritania within the EU" and its active participation in the EU-Mauritania partnership on migration.

Police cooperation

Spain maintains close police cooperation with Mauritania, with over 40 National Police and Civil Guard personnel deployed in the country, who work with local police forces in air and land maritime patrols, as well as in investigating and dismantling human smuggling and trafficking mafias. This includes deploying two offshore patrol boats, a helicopter and 14 all-terrain vehicles, as well as a surveillance aircraft and an ocean-going vessel at certain times.

The Guardia Civil also participates in the GARSI-Sahel European cooperation programme, together with the security forces of France, Italy and Portugal. Phases I and II, which ran from 2017 to 2023, facilitated the creation of two Mauritanian national gendarmerie units, each with 140 personnel. Phase III, which aims to create a third unit in the town of Aleg, on the border between Mauritania and Senegal, is currently being promoted.

Agenda of bilateral meetings

This meeting, held in Madrid, continues the agenda of working meetings held with Mauritanian leaders since 2018. Grande-Marlaska's last visit to the country was in July 2025, on the occasion of the first High Level Meeting between the two countries in Nouakchott, which culminated in a joint declaration being signed to deepen bilateral collaboration in areas like migration, economic development and security.

The minister had also visited the Mauritanian capital on 7 March 2024, together with the then European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, with whom he had already travelled to the country in September 2020. In October 2023, the Minister for Home Affairs held another meeting with his counterpart in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, accompanied by the former Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas.

The European Union launched the EU-Mauritania Migration Dialogue in 2023, which held its first meeting in Brussels on 11 December. Subsequently, on 8 February 2024, President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, met with President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in Nouakchott.

Non official translation