Mauritania conducts military drills amid rising Mali tensions
Mauritania’s army has conducted a series of military drills on its 2,260km (1,404-mile) south-eastern border with Mali amid rising tensions between the countries, according to The National on May 6th. The tensions come as countries in the region, backed by Russian mercenaries, increase their efforts to tackle Islamist and separatist groups active across the Sahel frontier.
The military drills come after reported attacks on southern Mauritanian villages by Malian troops in recent weeks.
In an April 5th Facebook post, Mauritanian army chiefs said the aim for the exercises was to determine the “logistical needs” of military units and “to test infantry weapons, artillery, anti-aircraft guns, rocket launchers and combat aircraft.”
“Aircraft weapons, artillery and special forces participated in destroying a hypothetical enemy who attempted to infiltrate the national territory for the purpose of carrying out an aggressive act,” the post added.
The military drills were attended by Mauritania’s Defence Minister, Interior Minister, and its army chief Lt. Gen. Moktar Bella Chaabane, who called on commanders and soldiers posted at the border to remain “constantly vigilant” and prepared to tackle threats that might arise as a consequence of the region’s growing instability.
Mauritanian media outlets reported that, on April 9th, the Malian army, accompanied by operatives from Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, had stormed the border village of Fassala in pursuit of militants from Mali’s Tuareg separatist “Azawad” movement. The attack is among a series of purportedly indiscriminate regional attacks conducted by Malian and Wagner troops in recent months.
READ: Wagner accused of civilian deaths in joint operations with Mali
Islamic State and al-Qaeda-aligned groups are increasingly active along the volatile frontier, as-well-as separatist militias such as Azawad. On April 30th, Malian state TV reported the assassination of senior Islamic State figure Abu Huzaifa “the Canadian”, who has been linked to several high-profile raids across the Sahel in recent years. The joint operation included troops from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, according to the BBC.
READ: UN experts warn of growing IS threat in Africa
In response to the Fassala attack, Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani dispatched Defence Minister, Ould Sidi to Mali, while government spokesperson Nani Ould Achrouka warned that the country would “hit twice as hard” against any further attempts to enter its territory or harm its citizens.
Mali, which has been under military rule since a coup against former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s government in 2020, has remained silent on the issue.
The National / BBC
