Mauritania’s security forces have been the main perpetrators of the most brutal violations against migrants from other African countries, Human Rights Watch alleges, in a report published recently.
According to the rights group, the offenses have been taken to a new level by an agreement with the European Union and Spain which is aimed at preventing the dangerous sea crossing to the Canary Islands.
The report presents the horrific house of crime incidents where migrants and asylum seekers who want to escape Mauritania are being raped, tortured, and extorted by the military, border staffs, and security officials. Human Rights Watch carried out this investigation over four years, interviewing more than 220 people from different countries, such as Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
What used to be the departure point for Mauritania who is now one of the top ten countries that send migrants to Europe is the mainly African route to Spain’s Canary Islands by boat.
Last year, nearly 47,000 people landed on the islands after they crossed the Atlantic Ocean. In 2024, the EU and Mauritania signed a new migration partnership agreement worth 210 million euros.
The 142-page report details how between 2020 and the beginning of 2025, Mauritania enacted the “abusive migration control playbook.”
Human Rights Watch claims all the victims interviewed were black and most of them complained about racial discrimination from lighter-skinned security staff of the Beidane ethnic group.
The organization gave evidence of Spanish security personnel who observed violations to the extent that they are documented by the Organization. (Adding a connecting phrase here for coherence)
Mauritania has denied the report alleging that it has taken steps lately to safeguard the rights of migrants. The European Commission responded that it was “anchored” in rights protection.
Human Rights Watch recognized migration reforms in recent months as giving a positive change and at the same time, it is calling for the training of security staff and the setting up of an independent investigation process.
