After weeks of silence, the Mauritanian government on Wednesday finally addressed the closure of the news site Anbaa.info. «Sanctions have been imposed on this media outlet by the regulatory authorities and the Ministry of Communication», said Houssein Ould Meddou, Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication, and Relations with Parliament, as well as government spokesperson, during a press briefing. The minister explained that «the site in question has a long history with the regulatory authorities, who have repeatedly summoned» its editor-in-chief «to urge him to remove certain content prohibited by the country's legislation». He justified these «hearings» by citing «the dissemination of false information, which undermines national security and Mauritania's foreign relations. I believe the media's officials are fully aware of the irregularities they have committed», he added. Ould Meddou ended his remarks, relayed to Yabiladi, with a warning to all Mauritanian media against «publishing false information and attempts to harm others». Anbaa, known for its criticism of Algeria, was first blocked by Mauritanian authorities in early August. On August 25, the measure escalated into a full shutdown following three complaints filed by the public prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Communication, and the High Authority for Press and Audiovisual (HAPA). The Arabic-language outlet was accused of «seeking to damage relations between Mauritania and Algeria». In March 2024, HAPA had already sanctioned Anbaa for «attacking Algeria», suspending access to the site for Mauritanian internet users for 60 days, citing the dissemination of «false information» about Algeria. Back in January 2023, the Algerian embassy in Nouakchott had accused parts of the local press of being «in the pay of a hostile state», a veiled reference to Morocco. «These sites are recruited through visas, leisure trips, advertising, corruption, and sums of money intended for mercenary writers, who have neither credibility nor influence on public opinion», the embassy claimed in a statement. Similarly, in September 2021, the former Algerian ambassador had urged HAPA to act against Mauritanian media considered "hostile" to Algiers' positions, particularly regarding Western Sahara.
