Morocco-Mauritania relations: Tensions after killing by drone of Mauritanian civilians

Posted On 8 January 2024

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1315 issue: week ending 12 January 2024

The Moroccan media said the Mauritanian authorities have abruptly increase by 171% the customs duties applied to Moroccan goods entering Mauritania through the border site of El Guerguerat, at the southern tip of the Western Sahara. In its X account (formerly known as Twitter), 360.ma said several Moroccan trucks transporting goods were not able to cross the border, after the Mauritanian customs said tariffs went up from 1,600 to 4,600 euros for commercial vehicles. Caught off guard, the drivers were not prepared to pay the required amount. They remain stranded at the border site.

Moroccan official statistics report 45,000 trucks passed through the El Guerguerat crossing in 2022.

The Mauritanian decision may have been tied to reports of a new attack allegly staged by the Moroccan army on Mauritanian civilians in the same area of El Guerguerat. On 31 December 2023, several media outlets, including Spanish news agency EFE, reported the death of three Mauritanian nationals, apparently killed by a drone, allegedly fired by the Moroccan military. The victims are believed to be gold miners.

This may be the second major incident allegedly involving Moroccan drones.  On 1 November 2021, three Algerian civilian traders were killed by a similar strike.

Other Articles in this Week's Issue<< Algeria fires head of police, arrests 11 Oran Airport security officersTunisia: Phosphate company signals recovery after a three-year decline (S) >>
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