Mauritania is moving forward with plans to open a new border crossing that will link the Moroccan city of Es-Smara to Bir Oum Grine via Amgala, according to Nouakchott-based news outlet Anbaa.info. The report notes that Mauritania's Interior Ministry has officially approved the new crossing, and construction is already underway on the road connecting Smara to the international border through Amgala. This new crossing, set to become the second between Morocco and Mauritania after El Guerguerate, comes as the Mauritanian Ministry of Equipment and Transport unveiled a major infrastructure push on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. The initiative includes plans for new railways, roads, and bridges. Mohamed Mokhtar Ould Sid Ahmed, Director of Programming and Cooperation at the ministry, said one of the flagship projects involves building a railway line connecting Choum, Akjoujt, and the capital Nouakchott. «Choum is a strategic point near the Moroccan border, and this railway will provide an efficient logistical link between Nouakchott and the northern regions», he explained. «It is expected to become a new trade and mobility corridor between Mauritania and Morocco, complementing the existing El Guerguerate-Nouadhibou border post». This growing cooperation between Morocco and Mauritania was also the focus of a meeting held in Rabat on February 20, 2024, between Morocco's Minister of Equipment, Nizar Baraka, and his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Aly Ould Sidi Mohamed.
