EU-funding fuels human rights abuses in Mauritanian borders

A recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigation has unveiled a disturbing pattern of human rights violations against West and Central African migrants in Mauritania, as reported by Africa News on August 27.

Between 2020 and early 2025, Mauritanian security forces subjected migrants to torture, rape, arbitrary detention, and collective expulsions. These abuses were exacerbated by European Union (EU) and Spanish funding aimed at outsourcing migration control to the North African nation.

The 142-page report, titled “‘They Accused Me of Trying to Go to Europe’,” documents testimonies from over 100 migrants who endured severe mistreatment by Mauritanian police, coast guard, navy, gendarmerie, and army personnel. Victims reported being beaten, sexually assaulted, and subjected to inhumane detention conditions. HRW attributes these violations to the EU and Spain’s continued support for Mauritania’s border and migration control authorities without adequate human rights safeguards.

In 2024, Mauritania entered a €210 million partnership with the EU to curb irregular migration, with Spain also increasing bilateral support. HRW states that EU and Spanish support, provided without adequate human rights safeguards, shares accountability for the resulting abuses.

The report urges the EU and Spain to prioritize human rights and saving lives in their cooperation with Mauritania, rather than solely funding security measures that lead to abuse. HRW also calls on Mauritania to build on recent reforms, including a ban on collective expulsions and new procedures enacted in May 2025 designed to protect migrant rights upon disembarkation.

In May 2025, Mauritania strengthened its borders following an alleged Polisario incursion, a move that intensified security measures in desert regions often used by migrants.

By July, reports noted concerns over the increased militarization in the Polisario-run Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria, causing Mauritania to close a key border crossing near the camp, disrupting supply routes used by the Polisario and indicating a departure from Mauritania’s traditionally neutral position.

Africa News, Maghrebi.org