On the evening of May 19, 2025, Seydina Aly Ould Mohamed Khouna, former Minister of Public Service, Labour & Administrative Modernisation under the presidency of former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, was arrested at his residence.
According to media reports and accounts of relatives, no reason or explanation was given for his arrest.
On May 20, the Front Démocratique pour le Changement (FCD), a group largely made up of relatives of former President Abdel Aziz and headed by Seydina Aly Ould Mohamed Khouna, held a press conference in Nouakchott to denounce what it described as an illegal and politically motivated arrest.
At the press conference, former Minister former Minister of Culture and Artisan Industries, Mohamed Ould Jibril, alleged that Khouna’s arrest was the result of his public opposition to the current regime; recently utterances denouncing the prosecution of former President Aziz, his criticism of what he considers to be an increasing disregard for civil liberties which has resulted in the detentions of journalists, dissidents and bloggers; and concerns raised that accused the government of abandoning certain border regions amid security concerns in those areas.
The former minister Jibril also mentioned at the press conference that Khouna had been located at the Direction Générale de la Sûreté, the national central body responsible for internal security.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is concerned about the alleged reasons cited for the arrest of Khouna and calls on the authorities to provide clarity regarding the offence(s) for which the former minister has been arrested. We call on the authorities to uphold transparency, respect for due process; and respect for the right to free expression, including dissent at all times.
