What are the latest news in Mauritania? August 31st, 2026

Major Diplomatic Milestone Mauritanian diplomat and former Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was unanimously elected Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during an extraordinary ministerial meeting in Jeddah, marking a significant diplomatic achievement for the country. Financial Afrik———Maritime Migration Interceptions Mauritanian coast guard units carried out several large-scale rescue operations along the Atlantic coast, intercepting boats carrying hundreds of Europe-bound migrantsincluding 161 individuals (among them 17 children) late in the month and over 300 in a separate operation earlier in August. NewsNow———Nouakchott Power Grid Recovery The national electricity utility (SOMELEC) announced the stabilization of power supplies and the return to regular operation for eastern and northern substations following recent fires and outages that disrupted parts of the capital and surrounding axes. Kassataya———Cabinet Policy and Legislative Moves The Council of Ministers approved several key draft laws, notably advancing new legal frameworks for combating narcotics and psychotropic substances, as well as establishing an updated digital registry system for central criminal records.