Algiers hosted the 4th edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025) from September 4 to 10. The event was notably attended by Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, alongside Polisario leader Brahim Ghali, who was invited by the Algerian authorities. «On the sidelines of this fair, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune proposed to his Mauritanian counterpart a meeting with Brahim Ghali to 'open a new chapter in relations' between the two parties, which have been strained for several months», a source close to the matter told Yabiladi. «However, the Mauritanian head of state declined the Algerian offer», the same source specified. During the opening session of IATF 2025, Ould El Ghazouani carefully avoided greeting Brahim Ghali, posing for a photo with him, or exchanging any words. It should be recalled that after the Mauritanian army decided to block Polisario elements from entering its territory, particularly in the Lebriga area, to launch attacks against Morocco, President Tebboune managed to convince Ould El Ghazouani to receive a Polisario delegation in May in Nouakchott, led by «the president of the Sahrawi Parliament», Hamma Salama. However, this initiative failed to achieve the desired effect in the Tindouf camps. Tebboune also persuaded the Mauritanian president to invite Brahim Ghali to the August 1, 2024, ceremony marking Ould El Ghazouani's swearing-in for a second term.
