US EditionHRW: EU-funded crackdown drove torture, expulsions in Mauritania
Human Rights Watch documented 77 cases of abuses including torture and arbitrary detention by Mauritanian forces against African migrants between 2020 and 2025.
- Human Rights Watch accuses Mauritania's security forces of systematically abusing migrants from other African countries through rape, torture and extortion.
- The alleged violations have been exacerbated by a deal between Mauritania and the European Union to curb sea crossings to the Canary Islands.
- Mauritania denies the findings, stating it has taken steps to protect migrant rights, but Human Rights Watch claims to have interviewed over 220 victims.
18 Articles
18 Articles
In its latest report released on Wednesday, 27 August, the NGO Human Rights Watch accuses Mauritanian security forces of having committed serious human rights violations over the past five years.
Ousmane, 22 years old, was expelled and abandoned in the desert. Ibrahim, 23 years old, was kidnapped. The EU asked fewer migrants and Mauritania, violating human rights, accused Human Rights Watch.
Mauritania: EU Urged to Uphold Human Rights, As Mauritania Accused of Abuse of Migrants
Mauritania's role as a key transit hub for African migrants seeking passage to Europe has come into sharp focus, following renewed claims by the NGO Human Rights Watch of abuse by its security forces.
EU, Spain migration policies worsen abuses in Mauritania – HRW
Human Rights Watch says EU's and Spain’s outsourcing of migration control to Mauritania has worsened abuses against asylum seekers, including torture, rape and mass expulsions. The report links these violations to a €210 million 2024 migration deal aimed at curbing departures to the Canary Islands.
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