While Mauritania has experienced multiple periods of military rule, recent presidential and parliamentary elections have been relatively credible. A variety of media outlets operate, but journalists risk arrest for reporting on sensitive topics, and restrictive laws limit freedom of expression. Afro-Mauritanians, the Haratin population, women, and LGBT+ people face discrimination. The government has taken steps to address the problems of institutionalized slavery and discrimination but has also arrested activists who work on those issues.

• In June, President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was elected to a second five-year term, taking 56 percent of the vote and defeating six other candidates. Biram Dah Abeid, an antislavery activist and National Assembly member, placed second with 22 percent, while Hamadi Ould Sid’El Moctar of the Islamist party Tawassoul placed third with nearly 13 percent. Abeid rejected the results, alleging fraud, and the incumbent’s campaign was accused of using state resources to influence voters. Competition remained limited by a requirement that prospective candidates collect endorsements from at least 100 municipal council members, including at least five mayors; only Tawassoul was able to meet the threshold without selective assistance from the ruling Insaf (Equity) party. In August, President Ghazouani appointed Mokhtar Ould Diay, previously the head of the presidential office and a minister of economy and finance, as the new prime minister. Unlike his predecessor, Diay was not a member of the Haratin ethnic group.
• Protests erupted in several cities after the election results were announced in July, leading to arrests, clashes with security forces, and at least three protester deaths in the city of Kaédi. In response, authorities imposed a mobile internet blackout that lasted for 22 days. Among other demonstrations during the year, police violently dispersed protests by students in January, farmers objecting to an allegedly unfair land redistribution plan in February, and medical interns in May.
• Restrictive defamation laws remained an obstacle to free speech and activism. In January, the National Assembly temporarily suspended opposition lawmaker Mariem Mint Cheikh for criticizing the prime minister, and the chamber lifted Abeid’s parliamentary immunity in February following a defamation complaint from another politician. In March, Mohamed Ould Ghadda, a former senator and head of the nongovernmental organization Inclusive Transparency, was detained and accused of defamation and spreading false information after his group accused a powerful businessman’s company of corruption and mismanagement in the implementation of public contracts. In October, finance inspector Ahmed Ould Samba was dismissed from his position and detained for a month after criticizing the president on social media.
• The Malian military and allied Russian mercenaries reportedly crossed into Mauritania in pursuit of suspected rebels in April, resulting in the deaths of several Mauritanians and injuries to others.
• In September, the National Assembly adopted a law that would establish a single specialized court structure tasked with addressing human trafficking and migrant smuggling in addition to slavery-related crimes, effectively consolidating and reforming the country’s existing specialized courts.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.