On January 6, 2021, Mauritania decided to strengthen security along its borders near the Tindouf camps, located on Algerian territory. This measure came two months after the Royal Armed Forces' operation in El Guerguerate on November 13, 2020. On Thursday, May 22, the Mauritanian military took a new step in this strategy following the arrest of traffickers originating from Tindouf. The Mauritanian army has announced the closure of the Lebriga region, located near the Algerian border. This area, situated in northeastern Mauritania close to the Tindouf camps, has been declared off-limits to civilians, according to a media report from Nouakchott on Thursday, echoed by outlets in the United Arab Emirates. A Mauritanian military source explained that the move aims to «contain the consequences of security chaos and put an end to illegal activities, particularly organized smuggling, in the region». «With this decision, Mauritania seeks to reaffirm its sovereignty over its borders and reinforce its military presence in areas that have long remained outside direct control, at a time when security threats in the Sahel are mounting and regional and international interests increasingly intersect». Algerian ambassador meets with Mauritanian Defense Minister The announcement follows the recent dismantling of a drug trafficking network involving cocaine, cannabis, and psychotropics, in which Sahrawis from the Tindouf camps and Mauritanian nationals were implicated. The investigation remains ongoing. As a reminder, on January 6, 2021, the Council of Ministers, chaired by President Mohamed Cheikh Ould El Ghazouani, adopted a draft law establishing a «sensitive defense zone» in northern Mauritania. The law defined the coordinates of this sparsely populated region, which authorities warned could serve as a corridor for terrorists, drug traffickers, and organized criminal groups. The move was followed by military exercises in March 2021 in the Tiris Zemmour region. Later that year, the Ministry of Defense inaugurated new facilities at the Lemreyya base, deployed surveillance radars in Zouerate, and launched an air control and information center in F'Derik, near the Tindouf camps. The declaration banning civilian access to Lebriga was promptly followed by a meeting on Thursday, May 22, between Mauritanian Defense Minister Hanana Ould Sidi and the Algerian ambassador to Nouakchott, Amine Said. According to a statement from the Mauritanian army, the talks «focused on bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop them, particularly in the field of defense».
