Summary:

On 27 August 2025, Mauritania was condemned for allegedly abusing African migrants through violent actions in a report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW).  

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The report details systematic violations, including rape, torture, extortion, and racial discrimination, carried out by Mauritanian security forces. HRW links these abuses, in part, to Mauritania’s 2024 migration partnership with the European Union and Spain, aimed at curbing dangerous sea crossings to the Canary Islands. 

Based on interviews with over 220 migrants and asylum seekers between 2020 and early 2025, the report highlights that victims faced discriminatory treatment by primarily lighter-skinned security personnel from the Beidane ethnic group. Migrants affected came from Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, including women and children, and some allegations were reportedly witnessed by Spanish security staff.  

Mauritania has a long and complex history of racial tension, with “Black Mauritanian ethnic groups [experiencing] such crippling and systemic discrimination in the justice system, the labor market, and service provision, that they are forced into slavery-like conditions to meet their most basic needs,” according to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 

Mauritania rejected the findings, citing recent measures to protect migrant rights, while the European Commission stressed that migrant rights must be upheld in all migration-related initiatives, including EU-funded projects. 

Outlook: 

The HRW report highlights the potential reputational and diplomatic risks for Mauritania, Spain, and the EU, particularly regarding perceptions that EU support may indirectly enable abuses. It is likely to increase pressure on all parties to implement stronger human rights safeguards in migration management.  

However, as witnessed across North Africa, pressure from European electorates to stem the flow of migrants can, and does, outweigh the appetite for safeguards, accountability, and professionalism in the management of irregular migrants. 

Without effective oversight and accountability, allegations of abuse could undermine the credibility of migration control efforts and attract criticism from additional international organizations. 

In the longer term, the situation underscores the complex balance between migration control, regional cooperation, and the protection of migrant rights in North Africa, demonstrating that sustainable migration management requires both enforcement and strict adherence to international human rights standards. 

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