Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani has received three Polisario Front delegations since November, but Nouakchott has announced no change to its policy of maintaining contacts with all sides in the Western Sahara dispute.
Official Mauritanian records confirm meetings on November 18, February 23 and July 13. The July delegation, led by Polisario official Abdelkader Taleb Omar, delivered a message from Polisario leader Brahim Ghali.
Sources familiar with the discussions said the Polisario had sought permission to establish a diplomatic mission or permanent office in Nouakchott, but Mauritanian authorities did not approve the request.
The sources said a subsequent proposal to establish a cultural center also failed to secure final presidential approval. They added that the July talks shifted toward Sahrawi detainees in Mauritanian prisons, including people facing criminal charges linked to contraband trafficking.
Statements published by the Mauritanian presidency and state news agency confirmed the delegations’ visits but did not disclose requests for an office or cultural center, discussions about prisoners or Mauritania’s response.
Mauritania has recognized the Polisario-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic since 1984 while pursuing what successive governments call “positive neutrality.” It also maintains important economic and security relations with Morocco and has sought to avoid alignment in the dispute.
The renewed contacts followed the Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2797 on October 31, 2025. The resolution renewed the UN peacekeeping mission’s mandate and called for negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy proposal, saying genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty could represent the most feasible outcome.
The resolution also retained the objective of a mutually acceptable settlement providing for Sahrawi self-determination. Morocco controls most of Western Sahara and proposes autonomy under its sovereignty, while the Algeria-backed Polisario seeks an independent state.
Mauritanian journalist Sheikh Ahmed Amin said the meetings should not automatically be interpreted as a change in Nouakchott’s position.
“The real objective is to secure a political and institutional foothold inside Mauritania,” he said, arguing that a permanent mission would carry implications beyond maintaining political communication.
He said the reported shift from diplomatic representation to a cultural center and then humanitarian issues suggested the Polisario was seeking alternative ways to preserve influence after failing to obtain a formal presence.
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