Mauritania - November 2025

On 4 November, Mauritania’s Supreme Court upheld the 15-year prison sentence of former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, confirming his convictions for illicit enrichment, money laundering and related offences. Abdel Aziz, who ruled from 2008 to 2019 after seizing power in a coup, was found to have amassed assets valued at around USD 70 million through illicit means and was charged in 2021 alongside ten other senior officials. His lawyers reiterated that the case was politically motivated, arguing that he was targeted after falling out with his successor. The rights group Mauritanie Transparency said it had hoped for a broader trial involving others implicated in the misuse of public funds but expressed hope that the verdict could nonetheless mark the start of a new era in governance despite its shortcomings.

Sources: La Dépêche de Mauritanie et du Sahel, Africa News, Le Monde, The North Africa Post, Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2)